A camping trip to an island on Lake Ouachita became violent when a man was assaulted and his boat allegedly stolen by his fiancee's cousin and friends Sunday.
According to an incident report, a 31-year-old Jacksonville man was camping on Island 33 on Lake Ouachita early Sunday morning when his fiancee's cousin and two other men, all of Mena and in their mid-20s, assaulted him, punching and kicking him.
The man was knocked to the ground and into the lake. The three suspects then took the man's Maxum ski boat and drove it onto the rocks near the Brady Mountain boat ramp, causing the skeg and prop to break and scratching the fiberglass.
The fiancee witnessed the incident and transported her fiance to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. The man reportedly suffered from scratches on his back, cuts on his lips, bruises on the right side of his head and pain to his ribs.
The three suspects could face felony charges of theft of property, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and second-degree battery and first-degree criminal mischief, each punishable by up to six years, if arrested. They are described as three white males ages 24, 26 and 27 from Mena.
Local on 07/26/2016