Members of the Farmington community come together after controversy hits its school district.
High school principal Christopher Webb, 42, was arrested Thursday after police found him bloody and nude choking a woman during a domestic dispute, according to an arrest report.
Members of the tight-knit community came together Sunday at the Farmington Sports Complex to pray for Webb, his family and their town.
"Pray and lift this up to God and ask him to help us band together and be supportive of one another regardless of where we stand on the issue," said minister Brian Center.
Prayer was silent and others shared their thoughts out loud. Many asked to put a stop to the gossip and negative comments surrounding the controversy on social media sites.
Regardless of why they came, the service saw around 100 people participate.
"It is an encouragement and I'm not surprised, I'm not surprised at all, that's just how our community is and this is the way we are expecting it to stay," Center said.
A group of former and current students in Farmington organized this gathering.
Many held hands and offered each other support.
"...Give us an understanding, give us wisdom, give us patience in discernment in the entire situation that we are going to be hearing about, reading about and seeing in the forthcoming future," Center said.
Police have said that Webb faces charges of aggravated assault and domestic battery in the attack on Shannon Shrum.
Shrum, who is a widow, and Webb co-own the home where the violence took place, according to property records.
Police arrived at the Hydrangea Drive home early Thursday in response to a disturbance. They heard screaming from inside, went in and found a nude, bloody Webb with Shrum in a choke hold in the upstairs bathroom, the arrest report states.
Officers found a dead black dog in the bathtub with its throat slit. There was blood on the floor, the stairs and a wall inside the home.
They found a knife on the floor and seized two knives and a knife sharpener from the scene.
A hospital spokesperson said Thursday that Webb had been treated and released from Washington Regional Medical Center. The hospital had no information on Shrum.
The school district said it has launched an investigation.