A woman facing 11 felony and misdemeanor charges after lashing out at her grandmother and fighting with deputies trying to arrest and jail her appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday.
Twenty-two year old Laurin Faith Thomas entered a not guilty plea and was approved for representation by a public defender.
A request was made to life a restraining order put in place after the incident. Circuit Judge John Putman refused to lift the order, but did modify it to allow a relative to communicate with Thomas by phone or mail and to vist her in jail if the two were seperated.
Baxter County sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence in Salesville for a reported violent domestic incident June 3.
Thomas grandmother told deputies Thomas had been destroying various items on the driveway and garage and when she went to check on the situation, her granddaughter attacked her.
The older woman said Thomas grabbed her by the hair and threw her on the floor. In addition to pulling out patches of hair, Thomas threatened to break her relative’s arm and attempted to bite her face.
The victim told deputies her granddaughter also elbowed her in the face before fleeing the residence.
Deputies located Thomas in a field near Lake Norfork Liquor. When a deputy approached Thomas to arrest her, she punched the deputy in the face.
Another deputy came to the scene and Thomas wrestled with both of them before being subdued and placed in handcuffs.
While being transported to the Baxter County Detention center, Thomas is reported to have spit in the patrol car and to have bitten chunks of foam liner from the back seat.
After arriving at the jail, Thomas is alleged to have screamed obscenities and spit on everyone in sight.
While deputies attempted to cover Thomas’ mouth with a mask to stop the spitting, she bit the finger of the same deputy she had punched in the face earlier.
Thomas remains an inmate in the Baxter County jail with bond set at $50,000.
She is charged with several felonies including two counts of battery in the second degree, one count each of domestic battery in the second degree and criminal mischief.
Her misdemeanor charges include two counts of battery on a police officer in the third degree and one count each of interference with emergency communications communication, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI