A Hot Springs man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to cutting the throat of another man during a confrontation at Oaklawn Racing and Gaming last year.
Jermaine Levert Hayes, 29, pleaded guilty to a felony count of first-degree battery, but prosecutors opted to let a Garland County Circuit Court jury decide his fate. After hearing a few hours of testimony and deliberating for about 18 minutes, the jury recommended the maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $10,000.
In describing what led up to the battery, Deputy Prosecutor Kara Petro, who represented the state, said Wednesday the victim and his wife had separated and the wife had started dating Hayes, a childhood friend of the victim.
Petro said the victim and his wife had later reconciled and got back together. On April 3, 2016, the victim and his wife were at Oaklawn, 2705 Central Ave., playing electronic games in the game room. The victim's wife started getting texts from Hayes and he was threatening to come there to Oaklawn to confront the victim.
The victim's wife warned her husband about Hayes' threats, but he continued playing. According to the affidavit from Hot Springs police, shortly before 2:30 a.m., Hayes entered the game room and approached the victim, who was still playing at one of the machines.
The victim's wife was standing beside the victim and saw Hayes approaching. Hayes and the wife got into an argument and she shoved Hayes away from where the victim was seated. Hayes again approached the victim and cut his neck with an unknown object, the affidavit states.
"He came up behind him and slit his throat," Petro said, noting he "just missed" cutting the victim's jugular vein or carotid artery. "It was a pretty big slit," she said, noting the entire incident was captured by security cameras.
The victim, his wife and Hayes walked to the lobby, where Hayes was detained by Oaklawn security.
Petro said EMTs at Oaklawn were able to administer emergency aid to the victim and he was transported to a local hospital where doctors were able to save his life. Petro said one of the EMTs testified Wednesday "how close it came to being a murder charge." The affidavit notes it was a 5-inch laceration.
Petro said Hayes was found to have two knives in his possession and DNA found on both knives was later matched at the state crime lab to both Hayes and the victim.
Petro noted Hayes, who had no prior criminal history, declined to testify Wednesday.
Hayes' attorney had argued for just a fine in the case, but Petro said she told the jury, "I find it appalling he would even ask for that" and noted, "we're talking about the value of a human life here."
Local on 05/25/2017