ALTON - A woman from East Alton faces multiple felony charges after a series of heated arguments led to her damaging her boyfriend’s home and car before attempting to run him over with her own car.
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Elyse M. Ruyle, 29, of East Alton, was charged with aggravated battery (a Class 3 felony), two counts of criminal damage to property (both Class 4 felonies), and criminal trespass to residence (a Class A misdemeanor).
On Dec. 26, 2024, Ruyle allegedly used a Chevrolet motor vehicle as a deadly weapon by attempting to run over her boyfriend, causing injury to the victim and damage to the car and a nearby concrete pillar.
She was also charged with damaging one of the victim’s car tires and one of the windows of his residence, with those damages totaling over $500.
A petition to deny Ruyle’s pretrial release describes the circumstances leading up to the incident. The victim in this case reported to authorities that his girlfriend “attempted to run him over with a vehicle after an argument.”
While the victim was at the Regal Beagle with another woman, he reportedly heard Ruyle was on her way to the bar, despite him advising her “not to show up at the bar.” When Ruyle arrived at the bar, she reportedly got into an argument with both him and the other woman. The victim and woman left the bar and went to the victim’s vehicle, which was parked at his residence.
Ruyle then showed up at the residence, entered without permission, then began arguing with and pushing the victim, who left the residence and walked towards Ruyle’s vehicle, which was parked in a nearby Pizza Hut parking lot. The victim reportedly punched the rear-view mirror off of Ruyle’s vehicle when the situation escalated further.
“[Ruyle] then entered her vehicle, which was parked in a parking stall,” the petition states. “She put the vehicle in reverse, backing out of the parking stall. She then put the vehicle in drive and sped towards [the victim].
“[The victim] attempted to get out of the way; however, the defendant ran the front end of her vehicle partially into [a] concrete pillar, causing heavy damage. Defendant’s front bumper struck [the victim’s] right side, causing him to fall to the ground. [He] sustained injuries to the hip, left side of his rib cage and left wrist.”
The manager of the local Pizza Hut turned over surveillance video of the incident to the Alton Police. Upon review, a woman could be seen running to a vehicle and entering the driver’s seat before backing up and speeding forward towards a man, striking him and the concrete pillar.
Ruyle was arrested by the Alton Police Department. While she was remanded to jail for her initial court appearance, Madison County Sheriff’s Office records indicate she is no longer being held in custody.
The issuance of charges is based solely upon probable cause and is not an indication of guilt. All subjects charged with criminal offenses are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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