Hot Springs man arrested for alleged assault of girlfriend
A Hot Springs man was arrested on a felony battery charge for allegedly attacking his girlfriend during an argument between them early Tuesday.
Lee Oliver Counts, 51, of 1416 Summer St., was taken into custody at his residence at
8:45 a.m. and charged with third-degree domestic battery, classified as a felony punishable by up to six years in prison because Counts was previously convicted of misdemeanor battery on Dec. 20, 2012.
Counts remained in custody Wednesday on zero bond and is set to appear June 6 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, the girlfriend told Hot Springs police that around 5:30 a.m. she and Counts got into an argument over property at their residence and that Counts grabbed her purse while it was on her arm. When she resisted and pulled the purse back, she alleges Counts grabbed her arm and punched her twice in the face.
The victim sustained a cut to her upper lip and swelling to her left eye which were observed by the police officers.
The officers made contact with Counts at the residence and took him into custody without incident. While en route to the jail, Counts reportedly said he remembered hitting the victim and her lip starting to swell up.
• A local man was arrested Tuesday on a misdemeanor warrant for allegedly attacking his live-in girlfriend last week and attempting to have sex with her.
Christopher Dean Harnar,
24, who lists a Hobson Avenue address, was taken into custody shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the
100 block of Airport Road and charged with third-degree domestic battery, punishable by up to one year in jail. He remained in custody Wednesday on zero bond and is set to appear June 6 in district court.
According to the affidavit, the girlfriend, 33, told police that on May 18, around 10 p.m., Harnar attacked her inside their apartment, grabbing her wrists and holding her down on the floor.
She said he told her they were going to have sex and began taking her clothes off.
She said he began spitting in her face and when she spit back, he punched her four times in the head. She said she attempted to shield herself with her hands and he finally got off her with no sexual intercourse taking place.
The victim reportedly sustained swelling and bruising on her left hand and three places on her scalp that were swollen.