COLLIERVILLE, TN (abc24.com) - Domestic assault, drugs and erratic behavior. Police reports paint a troubled picture of 34-year-old Nathaniel Yates.
Yates is the man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend, Brandi Floyd, at Tunica's Hollywood Casino and Hotel early Thursday morning.
Yates' criminal background reveals signs of violence and police were all too familiar with him.
His rap sheet from the Collierville Police Department goes back to 2000. There's more than one report of domestic assault, including one between Floyd and Yates just three months ago. Despite those reports, assault charges were never filed.
"He had a criminal background history of domestic violence and drugs," says Tunica County Sheriff KC Hamp.
Investigators found Floyd stabbed to death on the floor of the Hollywood Casino's hotel. They believe Yates killed her.
"She had multiple injuries, probably caused by a sharp object," Hamp says.
Neighbors tell conflicting stories of the couple. Some say they never heard an unpleasant word between them, but others tell us Yates had threatened to kill Floyd before.
Last New Year's Day, police say Yates bit Floyd on her hand during an argument, drawing blood. Yates said she threw a power drill at him. No charges were filed.
Two years earlier in February 2009 another woman accused Yates of pushing her in the face. According to cops, Yates had to be restrained on the scene.
His background includes several reports of drug possession. In May 2008, Collierville police took Yates into custody for having narcotics.
In 2003, he was arrested twice for possessing drugs with the intent to sell. In 2000, cops found him with marijuana. Tunica sheriff's deputies believe Yates was under the influence when they took him into custody this week.
"Right now, we believe the person may be under the influence," says Hamp.
For neighbors, those revelations are all news. The two have a one year old together. Their second child on the way died with Floyd.
"It is sad, so sad. I feel bad for the little girl, her baby, her one-year-old. I just can't believe it," says Sonia Castanon, Floyd's neighbor.
Yates is still hospitalized for injuries he sustained during his arrest. He jumped out of the hotel window running from police and deputies had to tase him. The sheriff's office says Yates probably won't be charged until next week.
