A 25-year-old Fayetteville man faces three counts of felony aggravated assault after an incident Sunday night in Bull Shoals in which he was arrested at gunpoint.Matthew Karl Butler is being held in the Marion County Detention Center on a $20,000 bond.Authorities received a 911 call shortly before 10:30 p.m. of a man allegedly threatening the residents of a home on Summit Avenue in Bull Shoals with a gun, while also attempting to run over bystanders with a car.
Officer Dustin Sanders responded to the call, where he encountered a group of people in the front yard. Witnesses told the officer the car had fled toward State Highway 178.
Flippin police, who were assisting with the call, encountered the suspect’s vehicle and notified Sanders the car may be on Cardinal Terrace. The Bull Shoals officer located the car, with Butler removed from the vehicle at gunpoint and surrendering without incident.
A search of the vehicle located numerous items of drug paraphernalia, along with a small amount of marijuana in a food delivery container. Officer Sanders also located some 9mm ammunition, along with 12 gauge shotgun shells and two pistol magazines.
Butler denied any firearms were involved, stating his weapon had been seized after a previous arrest for simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms. Butler allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking some alcohol earlier in the evening.
When officer Sanders returned to the scene, witnesses said they noticed Butler’s car in the neighborhood. A couple approached the car, which sped away on Alta Vista Drive. The couple, later identified as the parents of the mother of one of Butler’s children, then returned to the home, where they say the Fayetteville man tried on multiple occasions to run them over in the driveway.
After pulling into the neighbor’s driveway, Butler allegedly exited his vehicle and pointed a black object at them. The couple originally thought the black item was a handgun, but it was later determined to be a knife, according to the affidavit filed in the case.
The female who has a child with Butler stated she was in fear of her own life, as well as the lives of her children. She also stated Butler had been served with a protective order to stay away from her and the residence.
In a later interview at the detention center, Butler explained he had been served with an order of protection earlier in the evening and became angry after reading the included affidavit and felt the accusations were untrue. Butler claimed he left a Flippin residence where he had been staying in his vehicle, but “did not intend” to go to Bull Shoals.
Butler claimed he “ended up there” and was chased away by the woman’s parents. He denied he attempted to run over anyone with his vehicle and told authorities “if he intended to run over someone, they would’ve been run over.” He also denied pointing a knife at anyone on the property.
Butler would admit to owning two bongs found in the car and stated he thought he had smoked all the marijuana in the car.
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