Photo: Daniel Jacob Somsel
A man charged with attacking his neighbor with a machete entered a not guilty plea to the charges against him during a video session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Thirty-one-year-old Daniel Jacob Somsel of Gamaliel is charged with aggravated assault, second-degree battery, obstructing government operations and disorderly conduct stemming from the alleged attack on Aug. 18.
During his appearance Thursday, Somsel attempted to tell Circuit Judge Gordon Webb security camera footage of the incident might be available.
Somsel was cautioned he should not be discussing his case with the court, but wait until he could talk to his lawyer.
He will be represented by an attorney from the Public Defender’s Office.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim heard a man and woman arguing behind their residence along Black Forest Lane in Gamaliel.
He went outside to see what was happening. He told Baxter County deputies Somsel attacked him with a machete.
The neighbor said the female left the residence and began walking down Arkansas Highway 101.
After talking to the victim, deputies went to Somsel’s nearby residence.
Somsel was alleged to have come out of the house yelling at the deputies. They reported he appeared to be on a certain kind of stimulant.
Somsel was reported to have refused to give the deputies his name.
His story was that the neighbor came outside and charged at him. Somsel said he took a machete and struck the neighbor on the upper right forearm.
The deputies placed Somsel in custody and put him in the back of a patrol car. He was reported to have yelled and kicked at the back cage in the sheriff’s office vehicle, while being taken to jail.
He was also reported to have banged his head against the cage to the point he had blood on his forehead when he was booked into the jail.
The victim told deputies he did not need an offered ambulance or medical attention. He said if he determined he did, he would drive himself.
During his initial court appearance on Aug. 20, Somsel told the court, “I don’t know how a man can come onto my property and hit me and not be charged with something.”
He was also cautioned at that time that it was unwise to make statements about the case without the advice of an attorney.
Somsel’s bond is set at $15,000. He told the court, “There is no way I can make that bond. I have nobody else in this world, and no money.”
He said he had been living in his house “in Arkansas for a year, and I have almost starved to death.”
He was ordered to reappear Feb. 8.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady®NSI