A felon on parole was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to assaulting his 68-year-old mother and pushing her down the stairs last year.
Jeremy Daniel Bennett, 38, who has remained in custody since his arrest Aug. 4, pleaded guilty to a felony count of second-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and was sentenced to five years and ordered to pay $215 in court costs.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Aug. 4, shortly after 11 a.m., Garland County sheriff's Deputy Matt Cogburn was dispatched to Bennett's residence at the time on Smith Street regarding a disturbance that had occurred earlier involving a known suspect who had left the scene.
Cogburn spoke to the female resident, 68, who stated about 45 minutes earlier she had returned to her home and found her son, Bennett, inside "going through her stuff and acting strange." She said she asked him what he was doing and he told her his girlfriend had dropped him off and he was "getting his things."
She said she told Bennett to stop going through her belongings and he began to yell and curse at her. She said she was trying to get her son to leave so she could lock the door when he charged at her, shoving her with both hands and causing her to fall out of the doorway and down the stairs.
The victim's left arm was injured on some rocks at the bottom of the stairs, causing an abrasion and soreness. As she was showing Cogburn her injuries, the deputy heard someone moving in the backyard.
The woman called Bennett's name and Cogburn heard a man respond, "What?" He then told the woman to go inside as he radioed for assistance. The woman spotted Bennett walking on Smith Street and pointed him out to Cogburn.
The deputy headed that direction and made contact with Bennett, whom he recognized from previous encounters. He was taken into custody without incident and a domestic violence form was completed with the victim and she was advised to contact a domestic violence advocate for further assistance.
Bennett was on parole at the time of his arrest, having previously pleaded guilty June 4, 2018, to felony counts of arson and breaking or entering. He was sentenced to six years in prison at that time but had since been released. After his arrest on the new charges, his parole was revoked and he was returned to prison.
Local on 02/21/2020