A 21-year-old Mountain Home man, who was arrested following a fight at a recent birthday party, had his bond lowered during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
When Jaden Lewis was initially booked into the Baxter County jail, his bond was set at $20,000. Judge John Putman lowered the bond to $5,000. The state did not object.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the fight involved several male party-goers and left one 17-year-old guest with a broken jaw and mounting medical bills.
Lewis is charged with second-degree battery.
In arguing for the bond reduction, Lewis’ attorney, Andrew Bailey, told the court his client “strongly disputed” the facts as laid out by investigators in the probable cause affidavit.
Bailey said his client was only defending himself, rather than being the aggressor.
The incident took place at a residence along County Road 643 late last month.
Investigators reported an altercation broke out between several males attending the party — with the one teenage male apparently the target of the others. Investigators said the trouble broke out only a short time after the victim’s arrival. One of the guests initially tried to start a fight with the victim, and others became involved in the fracas. The teenager was said to have run back to his vehicle in an attempt to escape the other men.
According to the affidavit, as the victim neared the end of the driveway at the residence, Lewis is alleged to have hit him in the jaw, knocking him down. Investigators reported Lewis got on top of the victim and continued to strike him in the face.
The victim was first taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center, where a broken jaw was detected on x-rays, and the victim was taken to Springfield for treatment.
During a recent court session, prosecutors told the court the victim’s medical bills had neared $5,000 by early this month and continued to climb.
According to Baxter County Detention Center records, Lewis posted the lowered bond and was released from jail just after 10:00 Thursday evening.
Lewis was ordered by Judge Putman not to have any contact with the victim.
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