A Ford executive has been charged with two felony counts for an alleged assault against his wife. Franck Louis-Victor’s wife claimed her husband hit her with a Google Nest Hub smart screen, “slapped and headbutted” her, and threatened to burn two of her bags worth $20,000 with a “lit butane torch.”
Local police in Michigan responded to a domestic violence report at the couple’s Bloomfield Township home Saturday. Police said Louis-Victor’s wife, who has not been identified by name, went to the hospital with “a laceration under her left eye,” while Louis-Victor “made statements supporting the victim’s statement,” Business Insider reported.
Louis-Victor is the CEO of Ford Next LLC, a division that is described on the company’s website as creating “vehicle-adjacent business adventures.” and vice president of New Business Platforms for the company. A Ford Next spokesperson told Click on Detroit, which first reported on the alleged assault, “We are aware of what has been reported in the press, but it would be inappropriate to comment on personal matters.”
Louis-Victor was arrested on a charge of arson including preparation to burn property worth between $1,000 and $20,000 and a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. Despite police reports that he had conveyed the same events as his wife, Louis-Victor pled not guilty and was arraigned on Monday at the 48th District Court. He is being held on a $25,000 bond with a probable cause conference reportedly scheduled for 8:45 a.m. on July 25, Click on Detroit reported.
Ford CEO Jim Farley brought Louis-Victor on to run the Ford Next division in 2021 to develop and implement a strategic plan to bring value to customers. Louis-Victor and his team “will pinpoint areas where Ford can get and stay ahead of competitors in creating more rewarding customer experiences, with high-value moves in the automotive and mobility sectors,” Ford said in a news release at the time, Detroit Free Press reported. “That will include strategically disrupting how the company thinks and acts on behalf of those customers.”