A Norfork man in trouble again for attacking his wife appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court recently and pled guilty to charges of domestic battery and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Thirty-eight-year-old Zachariah Ray Martin was put on probation for four years.
When Circuit Judge John Putman was going over the allegation in the case, he asked Martin if those facts were correct.
Martin said he “didn’t totally remember what had taken place.” His attorney, Emily Reed of Mountain Home, told the court that a “considerable amount of alcohol was involved in the incident.”
On June 29, a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy responded to a domestic disturbance call at an address along Lone Rock Road in Norfork.
The victim said she and Martin were returning from grocery shopping when Martin became “agitated and then aggressive with the victim.”
She said Martin struck her in the face and attempted to wrestle her cellphone away from her because she was attempting to video the attack.
The woman, who was driving the vehicle, said she stopped at a neighbor’s home “so there would be a witness to the attack.”
She told the deputy when she attempted to walk from the neighbors to her residence about 100 yards away, Martin “grabbed her from behind in a choke hold.” The victim said she was unsure whether she lost consciousness or not.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the childrens’ statements were “consistent with the victim’s account of the incident.”
The woman was reported to have redness to the right cheek, forehead, neck, chin and left jaw.
NOT FIRST INCIDENT
The recent arrest was not the first time Martin has been in trouble for similar conduct. According to the probable cause affidavit in his latest case, Martin, has a previous felony conviction on a charge of aggravated assault involving the same victim in September 2019.
In mid-September 2019, Martin was accused of chasing the woman with a rifle and shooting it in the air with their children present.
He pled guilty to charges of aggravated assault on a family or household member, and two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.
As in the newest case, he was sentenced to four years probation. At the time of the recent incident, Martin was still on probation handed down after his guilty plea for the 2019 attack.
A petition to revoke that probation was filed June 30. The revocation was reduced to contempt of court and Martin was sentenced to time served during the court session Monday.
Martin was taken into custody when Baxter County deputies responded to a domestic altercation in progress call at an address along Rim Shoals Lane.
The 911 dispatcher reported gunshots could be heard over the phone.
Martin’s father made the 911 call. When deputies arrived, the parent reported his son’s wife came to the residence and began slapping him while he slept on the couch.
Martin denied a weapon was involved. The deputies told him a 911 dispatcher had heard gunshots over the phone, and he asked if they had been recorded.
When he was told a recording did exist, Martin refused to answer any more questions.
He was reported to have first declined to fill out a voluntary statement form, crumpling it throwing it on the ground.
Eventually, he did complete a written statement, alleging his wife attacked him.
The victim painted a very different picture of events. She said she had been invited to the residence so Martin could see his children. She told deputies when she arrived, she was “attacked” by him.
She said when she attempted to flee the home with the children; Martin allegedly grabbed a gun and trapped them inside.
When she managed to get out of the house, she said Martin pursued her, pointed the gun at her and the children, and then fired shots into the air.
After the victim got into her vehicle with the children, Martin was reported to have broken the windshield, and ripped the windshield wipers and a mirror off the car.
Deputies reported seeing damage to the car consistent with the victims statement. One of the children recounted the events and she was said to have recounted events in much the same way as her mother.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a deputy interviewing Martin reported detecting the odor of intoxicants and seeing that his eyes were bloodshot.
DIVORCE FILED
According to court records, Martin filed for divorce from his wife in early February. The petition shows the couple was married October 25, 2008 and were separated on April 15, 2021. According to an announcement in open court, Martin’s wife is herself in jail charged with a probation violation.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI