Local man charged with arson

Bennett
Bennett

A local man was arrested on felony charges Sunday after he allegedly set fire to a vehicle next to a residence he had burglarized, then stayed to watch it burn.

Jeremy D. Bennett, 35, who lists a Smith Street address, was taken into custody around 4 p.m. and charged with two counts of arson and one count of residential burglary, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

He remained in custody Monday in lieu of $15,000 bond, and is set to appear Oct. 30 in Garland County District Court.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Garland County sheriff's Lt. Mike Roberson responded to a vehicle fire at 337 Longhorn Loop. While en route, the dispatcher informed him there were also reportedly shots fired in the area.

Upon arrival, Roberson observed a Jeep Grand Cherokee fully engulfed in flames and a man, later identified as Bennett, standing at a fence line in the backyard.

Bennett reportedly asked the deputy if he could say something in relation to the incident and then allegedly stated, "I did it." After being placed in custody and read his rights, he reportedly told deputies he broke into the residence to look for a gun and then "felt like it was his place to stay for a while."

There was evidence of forced entry to the front door of the residence and substantial damage to the residence's exterior as a result of the vehicle fire. The vehicle itself was a total loss, the affidavit states.

• A local man was arrested late Sunday after he allegedly pistol whipped his wife when she found him in bed with another woman.

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Bagby

William Henry Bagby, 29, of 150 Marney Lane, was taken into custody at his residence just before 11 p.m. and charged with felony counts of second-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and aggravated assault on a family or household member, punishable by up to six years.

He remained in custody Monday in lieu of zero bond, and is set to appear in Garland County District Court on Oct. 23.

According to the affidavit, Garland County sheriff's Deputy Charles DeLaHunt responded to a disturbance at the Marney Lane residence after Bagby allegedly called and stated he pistol whipped his wife following an argument.

DeLaHunt made contact with Bagby, who was standing in the front yard, while Deputy Justin Parker and Cpl. Josh Cannon went inside to make contact with the victim. They found she had a severe laceration to the bridge of her nose, a huge knot to the left side of her forehead and bruising to her right ear and the top of her head.

The victim said she came to the residence and found Bagby in bed with another woman, so she went outside and pushed over a motorcycle. She told deputies she grabbed a piece of metal to throw through a car window when Bagby came outside and fired two shots into the woods.

The argument reportedly continued as she went inside to confront the other woman. Once inside, Bagby allegedly struck her four to five times with the pistol. He then reportedly went outside to call 911 and wait on deputies to arrive.

The victim was transported by LifeNet to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for her injuries and Bagby was arrested. Deputies reportedly located a .40-caliber pistol and two spent shell casings while searching the property.

Local on 10/10/2017

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