Photo: Matthew Karl Butler
A man who was convicted of aggravated assault in Marion County in July has now being charged with the same crime in Baxter County.
Twenty-seven-year-old Matthew Karl Butler, who lists a Fayetteville address, appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and entered a not guilty plea to charges of aggravated assault and criminal mischief.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Butler was arrested Dec. 10 when Baxter County sheriff’s deputies were called to an address along Weyhmeyer Loop.
As the deputies were responding, it was reported the situation was escalating. Butler was reported to be armed with a knife and to have attempted to hit a relative with his vehicle.
The vehicle had been disabled, and Butler left the scene on foot.
A deputy, who made contact with Butler, said the suspect had blood on his hands.
In both the Baxter and Marion County cases, Butler had used a knife and his vehicle as weapons, according to the probable cause affidavits.
A domestic situation involving a small child has been the reported cause of both violent events.
Butler and a woman with whom he was in a relationship at one time are identified as the parents of the 2-year-old female.
The child was at the residence of a relative on Weyhmeyer Loop when Butler indicated he was going to take his daughter.
Other relatives were called to prevent the removal resulting in Butler becoming even more upset.
At one point, Butler drew a knife and made threats, then changed to a baseball bat.
He is reported to have gotten into his vehicle and, traveling at a high rate of speed, swerved to hit a relative. He lost control of the vehicle, and it smashed into property on the lawn of the residence.
Family members and others report Butler has mental health issues. His sister said he had not slept in three days.
Butler told the court he was attempting to contact his lawyer in Fayetteville to arrange for representation.
He was ordered to reappear Jan. 10 to check on attorney status.
MARION COUNTY CHARGES
Butler was also accused of using his vehicle and a knife to threaten people at a residence along Summit Avenue in Bull Shoals in early February last year.
The new incident in Baxter County has triggered the filing of a petition to revoke Butler’s probation handed down in the 2020 case.
He was placed on 48 months probation on the Marion County charges July 13.
An officer from the Bull Shoals Police Department was called to the address about 10:30 p.m. to respond to the situation.
A number of people were in the front yard of the residence, and they reported the suspect had fled toward State Highway 178.
Flippin police, who were assisting with the call, encountered the suspect’s vehicle and notified the Bull Shoals officer that it could be located on Cardinal Terrace.
The Bull Shoals officer arrived at the scene and removed Butler from the car at gunpoint.
During a search of the vehicle, drug paraphernalia and a small amount of marijuana were found.
In addition, ammunition for a 9 mm pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun was found to be in the car.
Butler denied that a firearm had been involved in the incident on Summit Avenue. He said his weapons had been seized after a previous arrest for simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms.
He did admit to smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol several hours prior to the incident.
When the Bull Shoals officer returned to the scene, he spoke to witnesses who said they had seen Butler’s car in the neighborhood.
A couple identified as the parents of a female with whom Butler had a child told officers he had tried on multiple occasions to ram their car and run them down in the driveway.
They said at one point, Butler pulled into a neighbor’s driveway, exited his car and pointed a black object at them that they believed was a handgun. It was later determined to have been a knife.
The mother of Butler’s child said she was in fear for her life and the lives of her children. She said Butler had been served with an order of protection to keep him away from her and the children.
When he talked to police, Butler said he had been served with the order of protection earlier that evening and had been angered by what he termed the untrue allegations the woman had made in the accompanying affidavit regarding his behavior.
Butler said when he left a residence in Flippin where he had been living in his vehicle, he did not intend to go to Bull Shoals.
He said he “ended up there” and was chased away by the former girlfriend’s parents. He denied trying to run over anyone or pointing a knife at anyone during the incident.
Butler was convicted of charges, including aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance and violation of the order of protection in force at the time of the incident.
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