The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team Wed Feb 19, 2014 3:19 PM

A 35-year-old Phoenix man is accused of assaulting his girlfriend over a misunderstanding of how Facebook works, officials said.

Travis Schelling, 35, thought other men were sending direct messages to his girlfriend on Facebook anytime one of her friend’s posts appeared on her news feed.

Every time Schelling read a post, he would hit her, according to police records released Tuesday.

Police say Schelling’s attack on his girlfriend — which included sexual assault, punching, slapping and pulling out clumps of her hair — lasted from about 11:30 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday.

The woman sustained a cut and swollen lip and had bruising all over her body from the ordeal.

She told police Schelling wouldn’t let her leave her own apartment out of fear that she would call 911. He threatened to kill her, her family and friends if she alerted authorities, court records show.

Schelling left the apartment at about noon on Saturday after he was satisfied that she wouldn’t call police.

Later that day, he was booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault, sexual abuse, kidnapping, threatening and refusing to allow the victim to call 911.