A local man was arrested Sunday night on a felony assault charge after allegedly pulling a knife during an altercation in downtown Hot Springs.
John Michael Lobaugh, 24, who lists an address of 111 Leonard St., was taken into custody in the 300 block of Central Avenue around 8:45 p.m. and charged with aggravated assault, punishable by up to six years in prison.
He remained in custody Monday in lieu of $2,500 bond and is set to appear Sept. 30 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, the male victim, 40, states Lobaugh attacked him while he was walking southbound on the sidewalk in the 300 block of Central Avenue with a friend around 8:30 p.m.
He said Lobaugh was following them and began screaming profanities at them stemming from an earlier argument. The victim finally turned around and told the suspect, "You need to back off and leave us alone."
At that point, the suspect allegedly pulled out a switchblade knife and stated, "I will f - - - - - stab you!" The two men struggled briefly and at one point the suspect threw the knife toward his wife.
The victim was able to pin the suspect against a glass door and detain him until Hot Springs police Officer Branstetter responded to the scene and took him into custody.
A witness reportedly confirmed seeing Lobaugh with a knife and hearing him threaten the victim, the report states.
• A local man who reportedly fled from police in March in a stolen vehicle was arrested on felony and misdemeanor warrants Friday morning.
Joseph Halley Griffith, 28, who lists an address of 117 Division Trail, was taken into custody shortly before noon in the 3300 block of Central Avenue and charged with felony counts of theft by receiving, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and fleeing, punishable by up to six years.
Griffith, who also had warrants for three counts of failure to appear and unpaid child support, remained in custody Monday in lieu of bonds totaling $6,000 and is set to appear Sept. 30 in district court.
According to the affidavit, on March 3, a theft of a 1995 GMC Sierra pickup, valued at $5,000, was reported from outside the apartment building at 126 Oriole St.
On March 4, around 10:30 p.m., HSPD Sgt. T. Smith spotted the pickup near Trivista and Central occupied by three people and noted the back was loaded with a large amount of furniture.
After confirming the license plate, he attempted to make a traffic stop but the vehicle accelerated and turned onto Oaklawn Street and then Seventh Street, leading police on a pursuit through down several streets and in residential areas.
The report notes the driver reached speeds in excess of 70 mph, ran through several traffic signals, crossed the centerline and drove on the wrong side of the street several times.
During the pursuit, some of the items in the back fell out, forcing the pursuing officers to dodge them in the roadway. The chase continued until the vehicle turned onto Twin Points Road.
The vehicle turned onto a dirt road off Twin Points and traveled for a short distance before it became mired in a large mud hole. At that point, the driver bailed out and fled into some nearby woods.
Smith states he got a good look at the suspect with his spotlight before he disappeared into the woods. The two passengers in the vehicle both identified the driver as Griffith, and Smith later confirmed his identity by looking at his driver's license photo.
Warrants for his arrest on the theft and fleeing charges were issued on April 30.
• A local woman was arrested Friday on felony and misdemeanor warrants involving stolen checks she allegedly cashed at an area bank last year.
Jessica Dawn Williams, 30, who lists an address of 1342 Central Ave., was taken into custody shortly before 7:30 p.m. at Oaklawn Park, 2705 Central Ave., and charged with two felony counts of second-degree forgery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of theft of property less than $1,000.
Williams, who also had warrants for two counts of violation of the Arkansas hot check law, remained in custody in lieu of bonds totaling $8,932 and is set to appear Sept. 30 in district court.
According to the affidavit, on Dec. 12, 2013, Williams allegedly cashed a temporary check on a Regions account at the bank's 900 Albert Pike branch which was written out to her for $200.
She returned the next day to the same location with another check on the same account written to her for $268.98, but this time the teller called the account holder to confirm the check was valid.
The account holder reportedly stated she had not written any checks to Williams and they were both fraudulent. Williams had left the bank while the employee was checking, but she was identified via security footage.
Warrants for her arrest were issued Feb. 19 this year.
Local on 09/23/2014