A Chesterfield man is behind bars after being accused of beating his girlfriend with a soda can.

Charles Zirkle, 34, is charged in Madison County with domestic battery.

He is accused of using a soda can to beat his girlfriend Nov. 13. A police officer reported that the woman’s left eye was “almost swollen shut” and that she had a cut under the eye, and “bruising and swelling” on her cheek and neck, reports The Star Press newspaper.

Court papers say the woman told police she and Zirkle had been living in a car outside his parents’ home in Chesterfield, and were coming off a two-day meth binge.

The woman, who was taken to an Anderson hospital for treatment, also told investigators she “didn’t think Zirkle meant to hit her as hard as he did”, according to The Star Press.

Zirkle initially told police the woman injured herself by hitting her head against the dashboard of the car they were living in.

After being shown photos of her injuries, Zirkle reportedly said he might have struck his girlfriend, but had no memory of doing so.

Zirkle was being held Friday in the Madison County Jail.