A Gassville man, 34-year-old Mark Olivieri, has been sentenced to 12 months probation in connection with an altercation in August 2017 involving a baseball bat leading to him and the victim both being hospitalized.
The sentence was part of a negotiated plea in Marion County Circuit Court. Online court records indicate Olivieri entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of first degree assault originally filed as a felony. Felony charges of residential burglary and battery were dismissed. The Gassville man was also ordered to pay $775 in fines and restitution in an amount to be determined.
According to the arrest affidavit, the charges stem from an incident leading Flippin Police Chief Dustin Carter to interview both Olivieri and the victim in the hospital where they had both taken for treatment of their injuries sustained in the altercation in an apartment in Flippin.
The victim reported he was awakened by a knock at his door by Olivieri who walked uninvited into his apartment saying he was looking for his wife. He said he was able to push Olivieri out the door and lock it. However, as he was walking back to his bedroom, Olivieri kicked in the door and reentered his apartment with a baseball bat and said he wanted to search the residence for his wife.
When the victim tried to remove Olivieri, he was struck in the head by the baseball bat. The victim was able to take control of the bat and began striking Olivieri.
Olivieri said he ran to his car after the victim took control of the bat, with the victim following him and striking his vehicle with the bat.
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