A Gainesville man is in the Howell County jail accused of assaulting his girlfriend and bribing a West Plains police officer. According to the Ozark County Times, 33-year-old Anthony Collins allegedly offered the officer drugs in exchange for releasing him.
The officer says he responded Oct. 7th to the parking lot of a West Plains hardware store to investigate a report of a man stealing a woman’s vehicle and driving around the lot. The officer spoke to Collins and the alleged victim and determined they had been arguing at the store. Collins had reportedly twisted her arm before taking her car keys and the vehicle, driving it around the parking lot and behind the business.
The officer says the alleged victim, identified as Collins’ girlfriend, had redness to her arm and was bleeding from the ring finger on her right hand. Collins told the officer he took her keys more than once and drove away in her vehicle, but he denied assaulting her.
Court documents show Collins asked the officer if he wanted anything in exchange for not taking him to jail during the ride to the police station. He reportedly offered drugs to the officer in exchange for letting him go.
Collins faces charges of second-degree domestic assault and first-degree tampering. He was transferred to the Howell County jail the next day, and his bond is set at $4,500.
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