Man arrested for allegedly punching, threatening to cut girlfriend with knife
A Hot Springs man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face and threatening to slit her throat.
Travis Paul Spencer, 42, who lists a 167 Rockdale Place address, was taken into custody at his home around
11:30 p.m. and charged with third-degree domestic battery, a misdemeanor punish- able by up to up to one year.
Spencer was being held on zero bond and appeared Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after
11 p.m., Garland County sheriff’s Deputy John Crow was dispatched to the Shell Station, 100 Highway 7 north, to meet with a woman about a reported disturbance involving knives.
He met with a woman, 44, who said that her brother, identified as Spencer, had struck his girlfriend multiple times and was threatening to use a knife on her and his girlfriend.
Crow arrived at the Rockdale Place address and spoke with Spencer, who stated that he was involved in an argument with his girlfriend but claimed it was not physical.
Due to the allegation he had a knife, Crow detained Spencer and searched him and reportedly found a pocket knife in his front pocket.
The girlfriend reportedly told Crow that while she was driving Spencer home on Gorge Road in her white Cadillac he asked her to drive him to an unknown address so he could fight a person who was unknown to her. When she refused, he allegedly became upset and began striking the dashboard and windshield.
She said he then punched her on the nose, causing it to bleed, pulled out a pocket knife and threatened to slit her throat.
Crow noted she had bruising on the bridge of her nose and what appeared to be drops of blood on her shirt. He observed two cracks to the windshield of the Cadillac and what appeared to be smeared blood on the steering wheel, driver’s seat and center console.