Man pleads guilty to string of charges in 2 counties stemming from attacks on same woman

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A wild ride through parts of Baxter and Marion counties in early September and a violent domestic altercation in February resulted in a number of major charges being lodged against a Mountain Home man in both counties. The charges against 40-year-old Thomas James Archey stem from attacks on the same woman identified in court records as his girlfriend.

Archey appeared in Marion County Circuit Court last week and pled guilty to the charges against him in four open cases — two in Baxter and two in Marion. He was given 10 years probation and ordered to enter a 12-month addiction treatment program at Care Center Ministries in Mountain Home. According to the plea agreement, if Archey does not complete the Care Center Ministries program, he could face 10 years in prison.

Archey’s charges in both counties included stalking, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a minor, fleeing, harassment and violation of no contact orders.

The latest incident involving Archey and the female victim happened Sept. 11th. According to court records, the victim told investigators she was driving her vehicle in the Lakeview area when Archey spotted her and tried to run her off the road with his vehicle.

The victim said she was forced to veer off to the right side of the highway to avoid a head-on collision with Archey’s vehicle when he pulled directly into her lane of travel.

At the time, the victim was headed to take her infant daughter to a babysitter before going to work. She told investigators she was “terrified” and feared for her life and the life of her infant daughter. While the victim’s last name is listed as Williams in court records, the infant carries the last name of Archey. In an earlier case, the victim was listed as Archey’s live-in girlfriend and Archey as the father of the infant.

After Archey drove his vehicle into her lane and ran her off the highway, the victim told police she saw Archey turn around to begin chasing her, and she fled, pulling into the state park day use area in Lakeview where Archey caught her and attempted to block her vehicle in the park. The victim was able to escape and the chase continued with law enforcement joining in the pursuit.

According to court records, the victim had been in touch with 911 dispatchers to report what was happening. After eluding Archey in the park, the victim continued to travel through parts of Baxter and Marion counties. After he broke off chasing the victim, Archey was able to avoid the initial efforts to capture him, and area law enforcement agencies were alerted to be-on-the-lookout for him. He was eventually arrested Sept. 15th when he was spotted, stopped and taken into custody by a Lakeview police officer.

The victim met with police officers the day after the Sept. 11th incident and was interviewed concerning the incident.

Archey was also arrested and charged early this year in Marion County for attacking the same woman involved in the September incident. The altercation took place at a residence in Bull Shoals. At the time, the victim was reported to be six months pregnant with Archey’s child.

A witness to the altercation told investigators Archey was highly intoxicated on either drugs or alcohol when he arrived at the home. He demanded the victim leave with him, but she refused. Archey then attacked the pregnant woman.

Archey is alleged to have “head butted” the victim in her face, threatening to kill her and the unborn baby. He was reported to have kicked and punched the victim, throwing her to the ground off a raised driveway at one point. About two months after the attack, the victim wrote to the court asking that charges against Archey be dropped. She informed the court she would not testify against her attacker. She said she and Archey were then expecting to have a child in about a month’s time, and “I would like for him to be part of his child’s life.”

The witness said he tried to intervene to stop the attack on the woman, but Archey hit him several times in the face before picking up a case of beer and fleeing the scene.

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