Man arrested after allegedly hitting his wife in a bar and fleeing from police

STEVEN MROSS

The Sentinel record

A local man was arrested Sunday after allegedly hitting his wife during an argument at a bar and later fleeing from Hot Springs police in a vehicle while intoxicated.

Lamont Andrew Hicks, 45, of Jackson Street, was arrested near his residence shortly before 4 a.m. and charged with second-degree felony domestic violence, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence (first offense), both of which are punishable by up to one year in prison.

Hicks was initially held on zero bail but was later released and is scheduled to appear in Garland County District Court on September 6. However, he was barred from contact with his wife by court order.

According to court records, Hicks was previously sentenced to six years in prison for robbery in Washington County in 1999. In 2004, he was sentenced to five years in prison in Garland County for manufacturing a controlled substance. In 2007, he was again sentenced to 30 years in prison for the same charge, but was later paroled.

According to the probable cause affidavit, HSPD Officer Nathan Thomas was in the area of ​​Greenwood and Second Street shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday when he saw a black Acura in the parking lot near a business and heard the driver honking.

He made contact with the woman, who said she ran out of gas after leaving a local bar following an argument with her husband, identified as Hicks. It was later determined to be the Crosswalk Bar at 2714 Central Ave.

Thomas turned on his flashlight to examine the woman and immediately noticed that she had a “stab wound” on her left cheek that was “bleeding profusely” and that her face, shirt and hands were “covered in blood.”

When asked what happened, she said she was at the bar with her husband and he punched her in the face. Thomas noticed the woman “kept nodding unconscious,” so he called LifeNet to examine her. She was found to have a large cut on the inside of her cheek that appeared to be connected to the stab wound.

The affidavit states: “It is believed that when (the victim) was struck, he pressed his cheek against his teeth, causing a cut on the inside and one of his teeth may have pierced his cheek.”

The woman initially refused to be transported, but LifeNet staff explained that she needed immediate medical attention to “stitch her cheek.” She initially refused to identify her husband, but eventually gave his name.

Shortly before 4 a.m., HSPD Officer 1st Class Zach Hoofman spotted a gray 2021 Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling east on Hobson Avenue, and a computer check identified the owner as Hicks, who was the suspect in the recent assault.

Hoofman attempted to stop a motorist at the corner of Valley and Runyon Streets by turning on his lights and siren, but Hicks allegedly turned onto Runyon Street and continued east without stopping. A chase began that took him to Cleveland Street and then to Jackson Street, where he continued until he arrived in front of his house and finally stopped.

Hicks was taken into custody without incident, and Hoofman noted that he could smell drugs and that his eyes were “bloodshot and watery.” Once at the jail, Hicks was reportedly uncooperative and shouted “profanities” at Hoofman. He refused to submit to a breathalyzer or chemical test.

Finally, in addition to the assault charge, he was also denied charges of drunk driving, eluding and evading arrest.