An Ozark County jury deliberated for less than an hour before convicting a Gainesville woman of third-degree assault. According to the Ozark County Times, the verdict against 42-year-old Misty Watson wrapped up a two-day jury trial this month, after she was alleged to have struck another female in the head with a beer bottle at an apartment in the Tecumseh area in October 2017.
Watson was originally charged with second-degree assault and property damage, but the jury convicted her of the lesser charge of third-degree assault indicating the beer bottle was not a “dangerous instrument.” Watson was acquitted of property damage with what was described as circumstantial evidence concerning damage to an SUV.
Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney John Garrabrant’s two witnesses were the victim and an eyewitness to the incident. Both testified Watson became enraged after a night of drinking because she was being accused of taking some property. She reportedly threw the bottle at the victim’s head and struck her with fists. Watson later kicked the victim as she was being restrained and removed from the apartment.
Ozark County deputies later arrived to find a heavily-damaged SUV. The front and back glass was broken out, and deep scratches were located on the passenger’s side. Witnesses told officers they didn’t see or hear the vehicle being damaged. Deputies were not able to locate any physical evidence linking Watson to the SUV.
The victim was transported by ambulance to Baxter Regional Medical Center following the incident. She received stitches to close a wound on her forehead.
Watson has been incarcerated in the Ozark County jail since March, after failing to appear for her pre-trial conference, and her bond is set at $5,000. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9.
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