A local man was arrested on a felony charge early Friday for allegedly attacking his girlfriend, beating her and stabbing her in the eye and leg.
Jerry Wayne Moore, 58, of 137 Chapel St., was taken into custody around 7:45 a.m. and charged with second-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He remained in custody in lieu of $25,000 bond Monday morning and was set to appear for a plea and arraignment in Garland County District Court later in the day.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at around 7 a.m. Friday, Hot Springs police responded to the area of 137 Chapel to reports of a female bleeding and yelling for help. They made contact with a woman with "serious" stab wounds to her right eye and the back of her left leg, two black eyes and a large laceration to her head.
The woman stated she was assaulted by a known suspect, identified as Moore. Detective Scott Lampinen responded to the scene and learned the woman had run out of the apartments at 137 Chapel St., and he knew Moore lived in Apt. 19.
He made contact with a man who reportedly stays with Moore at the apartment. The man stated Moore and the victim have been in an "on again off again" relationship since he had been staying there for about five months.
Officers were told Moore was in a neighboring apartment and located him there. Lampinen noted Moore had blood all over his clothing and he was taken into custody. Moore stated he couldn't walk without his cane, which was in his apartment, and asked Lampinen to get it.
Lampinen states when he opened the door to Apt. 19 he saw a large amount of blood on the floor and other signs of a struggle. The woman was transported by LifeNet to a local hospital for treatment.
Moore is scheduled to stand trial Thursday in district court on a previous charge of third-degree battery stemming from an incident last year in which he stabbed a man in the arm who reportedly owed him money.
Moore was arrested April 8, 2017, and originally charged with second-degree battery, a felony punishable by up to six years in prison. The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor on Sept. 25, 2017, and remanded back to district court.
According to the affidavit, on April 8, police responded to a battery report at the Garland Towers & Garden Apartments, 126 Oriole St., and made contact with the victim, who stated that shortly before 3 p.m. he was walking toward the elevator at the apartments when he was approached by Moore.
He said Moore walked directly toward him and said, "You owe me $32." He replied, "I owe you $32? I don't owe you any money." He said he attempted to walk past Moore, but he followed him to the elevator. He turned around to ask Moore why he was following him, and Moore pulled a large knife out of his back pocket.
Moore allegedly struck the victim in the left shoulder with the knife, causing a small cut. Another tenant entered the hallway, and Moore hid the knife behind his body and quickly made his way to his room.
Officers reviewed video footage of the incident and confirmed the victim's statement. They then made contact with Moore and took him into custody without incident. He was later released on $2,500 bond.
Local on 03/06/2018