A Hot Springs man was arrested on felony charges Thursday evening for allegedly threatening to kill his 71-year-old wife and 26-year-old grandson after previously chasing his wife around with a machete.
Tracy Edwin Buttrum, 52, of 135 Hammond Drive, was taken into custody at his residence shortly before 5:30 p.m. and charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, punishable by up to six years in prison.
He was arraigned Friday morning via video in Garland County District Court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Judge Ralph Ohm set his bond at $4,000 and issued a court order barring him from contact with his wife or grandson. A felony review hearing is set for Oct. 22. Buttrum remained in custody as of Friday afternoon.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 4:45 p.m. Thursday Hot Springs police Cpl. Kenny May responded to the Hammond Drive residence regarding a disturbance and upon arrival made contact with Buttrum, who stated he had been in an argument with his wife.
May spoke to Buttrum's wife, who stated that during the argument Buttrum threatened to burn the house down and to kill her. She noted Buttrum had a machete at the residence and had chased her with it the day before "so she took his threat to be serious."
The wife told detective John Hammons she and her husband got into an argument over a CD, with Buttrum yelling at her for wanting to listen to the CD and then smashing a vacuum through the exterior of their mobile home. She said she tried to calm him down to no avail and then her grandson pulled up in his vehicle having just got off work.
She said she got into her grandson's vehicle to leave and Buttrum started hitting the hood of the vehicle yelling, "I'm going to kill you!" She said she called the police at that time because she "was scared for her life."
The grandson reportedly told Hammons when he pulled up he saw his grandmother trying to hide her truck to prevent Buttrum from damaging it. He said he pulled into the driveway and heard Buttrum yelling he was going to burn the house down "with the dog in it" and threatening to kill his grandmother.
He said his grandmother got into the car with him and they drove to a nearby bank to get some money. He said Buttrum followed them there and started arguing with his grandmother again. He said they returned to the residence to get the dog and that Buttrum followed them again and began hitting the hood of his vehicle and threatening to kill them both.
Local on 09/01/2018