A Lonsdale man arrested earlier this year after assaulting another man who gave him a ride was sentenced to the maximum of six years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.
William Brandon McJunkins, 29, who has remained in custody in lieu of $15,000 bond since his arrest March 11, pleaded guilty to a felony count of second-degree battery with his sentence to run concurrent with the revocation of his parole from a prior felony conviction.
McJunkins was also barred from any future contact with the victim, 67, and ordered to pay $170 in court costs.
According to the affidavit, on March 11, shortly after 4:30 p.m., Hot Springs police Officer Hunter Scott was taking a report in the parking lot of the police department when a Chevrolet Silverado pickup pulled behind him and honked once. Scott saw two white males fighting inside the vehicle, one of whom was later identified as McJunkins.
Scott gave commands for the two men to cease their fighting and open the vehicle's doors, but all of the doors were locked. As Scott continued to give commands to stop and open the vehicle, he observed a flashlight/Taser held by one occupant, which he was shoving into the leg of the other man. The door's lock was eventually released and Scott drew his handgun and ordered both men onto the ground.
After other officers had arrived on scene, both men were detained and it was soon determined the vehicle's driver was the victim in the altercation. The victim stated he knew McJunkins from previous work and had picked him up on the side of the road to give him a ride to an unknown location. He said that en route to the location, McJunkins began to punch him in the face, so he pulled into the parking lot for help.
The victim had severe trauma to his face, including swelling to his mouth, nose and eyes and large cuts on his face. He also had a large laceration on the back of his head, causing him to "bleed profusely." LifeNet transported him to a hospital for his injuries.
After being checked and cleared by LifeNet, McJunkins was transported to the Garland County Detention Center for processing. While there, McJunkins became unruly, shouting about being "Jesus Christ," "Jehovah" and "the One." Because of his agitated state, McJunkins was deemed disruptive and placed into a holding cell.
Before leaving the police department, McJunkins had admitted several times to "beating the s - - - " out of the victim. He also said he had struck the victim with a flashlight inside of the vehicle. Officers noted he was talking to himself, referring to "the demon," who he claimed was speaking to him.
Local on 06/07/2017