Hot Springs man allegedly rams car, charged with assault
A local man was arrested on a felony assault charge Sunday after allegedly ramming his vehicle into one occupied by his estranged wife and her friend.
Michael John Petika, 36, who lists a
George Street address, was taken into custody around 5:45 p.m. and charged with aggravated assault, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of second-degree criminal mischief, punishable by up to one year in jail.
Petika was later released on $3,500 bond and is set to appear July 9 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a local man told Hot Springs police he went to the home of his friend, identified as Petika’s wife, to pick her up to go shopping. As they left traveling west in the area of Seventh and South Street a silver Tahoe suddenly came up beside his vehicle and veered into the driver’s side
door and then blocked him in.
He said he put his vehicle in park and locked the doors as the driver of the Tahoe, identified as Petika, got out and approached his driver’s door where he began cursing and struck the window with his hand. Then he walked around to the passenger side where Petika’s wife was sitting and began pulling on the passenger door handle, breaking it off.
Petika’s wife reportedly gave a statement to police corroborating the victim’s account and added that she and Petika are in the process of getting a divorce and he is “very jealous of her.” She said her two children with Petika were in the back seat of the vehicle during the incident and she claimed she saw Petika “purposely turn into them.”
A rear passenger in the vehicle also reportedly gave a statement corroborating the victim’s account adding that she told the victim she thought it was Petika’s vehicle beside them, just prior to the vehicle crashing into them. She said she wasn’t sure where Petika came from and only saw him as he pulled alongside.
Petika was picked up by patrol officers and brought to the police department where he was questioned and reportedly stated he was northbound on Seventh Street in his Tahoe proceeding through the intersection at South Street when his vehicle was struck in the right front by an oncoming vehicle.
He said as he approached the other vehicle he realized his wife was in the passenger seat and an unknown man was the driver. He said he was angered at her being in the vehicle with another man and attempted to open the passenger door and the handle came off.