Mountain Pine man charged for alleged attack on girlfriend
A Mountain Pine man was arrested on multiple felony warrants Sunday stemming from allegations he attacked his girlfriend while she was holding their infant daughter and threatened her at gunpoint in September.
Michael Rick Estell, 28, who lists a Buckthorn Lane address, was taken into custody shortly after 5: 30 p. m. and charged with second-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and two counts of aggravated assault, each punishable by up to six years in prison.
Estell was being held on an $11,000 bond and was set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept. 20, a woman filed a report with Garland County sheriff’s investigators alleging she was attacked by Estell at their Buckthorn Lane residence.
Deputies Stacy Morgan and Candice Stacks spoke with the victim and noted she had two swollen black eyes. When they asked her what happened, she told them she was with Estell and had just waked up and “looked away for a second” and when she turned back she no
ticed their daughter was “playing in the toilet.”
She said Estell “got very angry with her” and started punching and slapping her in the face and body and kicking her in the buttocks. She noted that during the attack she was holding their infant daughter in her arms and was not sure if the infant was also struck by Estell.
About an hour after the initial attack, she said Estell “began to get angry again” and told her he wanted her to kill him.
She noted there was a gun by the bed which she picked up and “threw across the room.” She said Estell walked over and picked the gun up and pointed it at her, stating that “since she would not kill him, he would kill her.”
At one point during the confrontation, Estell reportedly saw a police car drive past the driveway and told the victim he “would kill anyone that came up to get him.” She said he then started to block the driveway so no one could come up to the house. He finally turned to her, she said, and told her, “I’m leaving, take care of my dog” and drove away.
The affidavit notes the victim had injuries to her face and behind her ear in addition to the black eyes and she and her daughter were transported by LifeNet to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for treatment and evaluation.
Warrants for Estell’s arrest on the multiple charges were issued on Sept. 25.