A Hot Springs man was arrested late Wednesday after allegedly attacking his ex-fiancee at his residence, choking her and hitting her multiple times in the face.
Michael Joe Dunbar, 54, of 994 Crystal Hill Road, was taken into custody at his residence around 10 p.m. Wednesday and charged with third-degree domestic battery, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
He was still being held on zero bond Friday morning and was set to appear that afternoon in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 10 p.m., Garland County sheriff's Deputy J. Blunkall was dispatched to Dunbar's residence regarding a disturbance in progress and was told while en route to use extreme caution because there were reportedly "guns everywhere in the house."
Blunkall and Cpl. John Lane arrived and made contact with a woman who was sitting on the front porch of the residence with the front door open behind her. She said she and her ex-fiance, identified as Dunbar, had been in an argument and he choked her and struck her multiple times in the face.
Deputies noted she had visible red marks on her face and neck. She noted Dunbar had been "drinking heavily" and while deputies were talking to her a man, later identified as Dunbar, came to the front door in a bathrobe, shut it and locked it.
As deputies tried to make contact with Dunbar, they could see him standing at the front window talking on his phone. He refused repeated commands to come out and asked Lane for his name and unit number, which Lane provided. Dunbar repeated the information into the phone and after multiple attempts to get him to come to the door, he finally opened it.
Deputies went inside and took Dunbar into custody without further incident.
The victim said Dunbar had been drinking all day and she was "tired of all the additional drama Dunbar was bringing into her life" so she had decided to pack her things and leave. She said she was getting a necklace out of the safe and Dunbar told her he had bought that necklace for her and "it wasn't leaving the house."
She said he then came at her and put his hands around her throat, pushing her into the bedroom closet where he began to beat her in the face. The report notes the woman refused medical attention.
Local on 09/21/2019