A rural Mountain Home man charged with barging uninvited into a female’s home where he is alleged to have broken items of personal property and punched a wall entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of criminal mischief and was sentenced to 12 months misdemeanor probation.
Forty-five-year-old Chris Brim was arrested and initially charged with residential burglary, criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a minor.
In an earlier session of court, Brim pled not guilty to the charges against him. Mountain Home attorney Ben Burnett entered his appearance in the case July 8.
The female victim said the altercation started on the night of June 7 at another location. She said she and her sister were at the Rusty Rail Saloon in Norfork when Brim started messaging and calling her repeatedly.
The two women talked about leaving the bar fearing Brim would show up and “cause an altercation.”
A short time later Brim did show up. He is reported to have yelled at the two women and was reported to have thrown chairs and other items.
The women told a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy that they left the bar and went to their Firestone Lane residence.
Brim was reported to have showed up there as well. He came inside the house without permission and refused to leave when told to do so by one of the victims.
The victims told Brim there was a young child on the couch, but he reportedly continued to yell and scream and, at one point, punched a wall.
He was also said to have broken a China dining set valued at $1,200 and threw the pieces around the house.
Brim then walked outside and began to rip down flowerpots and, according to the victims, ate some of the flowers.
The victims who remained in the house said they heard banging on the walls and when they looked out, they saw Brim throwing rocks at the residence.
He has been arrested in the past for participating in violent altercations. His charges in various cases have included being a felon in possession of a weapon, commercial burglary, aggravated assault and terroristic threatening.
In 2022, according to court records, two people petitioned to have orders of protection issued to keep Brim away from them.
The first criminal case on Brim was opened in 1999 and he shows to have been booked into the Baxter County Detention Center 35 times.
CASE DROPPED
A case stemming from an alleged altercation by Brim on two male victims was dropped by the state October 20.
Brim, who was again represented by Ben Burnett, was charged with 1st and 2nd degree battery in the case.
According to prosecutors, the case was not winnable based on available evidence and because the two victims’ stories conflicted with witness descriptions of the event.
The two male victims had been involved in a pool tournament at the Rusty Rail Saloon on July 24. They told investigators that the tournament wrapped up about 2 a.m. and the two were walking toward an apartment located next to the Rusty Rail belonging to one of the victims.
He indicated to investigators he was not clear on exactly what happened, but said he was struck by a blunt object and knocked unconscious.
He said he woke up hours later on the front porch of his apartment. He said he contacted his daughter and she came to the apartment and took him to Baxter Health.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim had a long, deep laceration on his head starting near the hairline and ending at his right eye.
Foster received six stitches to the inside of the laceration, and nine stitches to the outside of the laceration.
A Baxter County sheriff’s deputy contacted Brim on July 25 and served him with an active warrant stemming from another altercation with one of the victims at the Rusty Rail. Brim was reported to have nearly bitten one of the victim’s fingers off during the earlier altercation.
When he was interviewed, Brim denied playing any part in the attacks on the two men and said he had no idea why lawmen had taken him into custody.
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