A Clarkridge man charged with domestic violence was set to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday but found himself sitting in the Baxter County Detention Center instead.
Fifty-six-year-old Charles Richard Cox was arrested on the morning he was due in court. According to a press release from the Baxter County Sheriffs office, he was the second suspect in an incident that kicked off an extensive manhunt on May 10.
Cox’s charges stemming from his newest arrest include residential burglary, aggravated assault, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia criminal trespass, theft of property.
Another suspect, 39-year-old Terry Shumate of Mountain Home, was found and arrested on May 10.
Shumate and Cox were allegedly involved in the theft of property at a residence along County Road 99. The homeowner told deputies he saw two men taking the articles.
After being caught in the act, Shumate and Cox were reported to have fled in a vehicle. The victim obtained a license number and began chasing the suspect vehicle.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the vehicle occupied by Shumate and Cox stopped at a point along County Road 36 and shots were fired out the window at the victim.
The victim was not hit and continued chasing the fleeing vehicle until he lost sight of it.
After an extensive manhunt, Shumate was arrested at a mobile home along County Road 35 where he had barricaded himself.
The residence was occupied, but a woman and her child were able to escape out the back door. They were not reported to have been injured.
Cox remained free until Monday when he was taken into custody at a residence in the Clarkridge area.
Shumate is being held in the county jail with bond set at $250,000 and Cox’s bond has been set at $100,000.
DOMESTIC BATTERY CASE
Cox was due in court May 15 on charges that he had assaulted his wife, breaking bones, when he smashed her foot and ankle with his boot as she lay on the floor. he had rejected a plea offered by the state and said he wanted to go to trial in the domestic abuse case. He was on the circuit court docket Monday to set a date for that trial.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the attack occurred March 2,2022 but Cox’s wife was too frightened to report it until about eight days later.
The investigative report alleges Cox returned to the couple’s residence along Somer View Drive in Clarkridge around midnight March 2.
He was upset and began arguing with his wife of 23 years. The dispute centered around Coxs Social Security payments and what was happening to the money, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The victim said when she tried to get up from her chair, Cox pushed on her chest knocking her back down.
The victim was able to get up again, but fell to the floor. It was at that point that Cox is reported to have “stomped her ankle and foot with his boot.”
The victim sought medical attention and learned one bone in her foot was broken and another fractured.
She said she was initially afraid to return home, fearing what Cox might do. For a time, the victim stayed away from the couple’s residence.
The wife told investigators the recent event was not the first example of violence involving the couple. She said they had both been jailed for domestic abuse but that this time was “different” because of the intensity of the violence that left her with broken bones.
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