A 21-year-old Mountain Home man arrested following a fight at a birthday party last year entered a no contest plea to the charge against him during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Jaden Lewis, who was given five years probation, was charged with second-degree battery.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the fight involved several party-goers and left one teenage guest with a broken jaw and mounting medical bills. Restitution in the case has yet to be determined.
It has been noted in earlier court sessions Lewis “strongly disputes” the facts as laid out in the probable cause affidavit. Lewis contends he was defending himself in the fight, rather than being the aggressor.
The incident took place at a residence along County Road 643 in August last year.
Investigators reported the fight broke out between several males attending the party only a short time after the victim arrived. The victim was pointed out as the apparent target.
The victim was reported to have run back to his vehicle in an attempt to escape the other men. According to the probable cause affidavit, as the victim neared the end of the driveway, Lewis is alleged to have hit him in the jaw, knocking him down. It is further alleged Lewis got on top of the victim and continued to strike him in the face.
In court records, the victim is identified as a 17-year-old male. He was taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center where a broken jaw was detected on x-rays, and the victim was transferred to Springfield for treatment.
As has been true since the case was filed, Lewis was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
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