Two Mountain Home men facing charges of breaking into the residences of two people and assaulting them appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday.
Thirty-year-old Blake Alan Arvay and 21-year-old Bryce Wilson Riggan are charged with aggravated residential burglary, which is a Class Y felony, the most serious classification of crime in Arkansas not punishable by death.
Arvay is currently in addiction treatment and is scheduled to take a plea in his case August 17. Riggan is scheduled to reappear on the same day.
While one of the incidents was being investigated, it was discovered that the same two men had reportedly assaulted a friend of the initial victim in his apartment earlier that same evening.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the two victims had been trying to distance themselves from Arvay because he was described as “getting out of control” because of drug and alcohol use.
Text messages from the first victim to Arvay showed that both men who were attacked wanted Arvay to leave them alone.
Investigators said Arvay showed up at Riggan’s apartment about 7 p.m. on the night of the incident and plans were made to assault the first victim who was said to have been “running his mouth.”
A third person agreed to drive Arvay and Riggin on their mission because both men were reported to be “very intoxicated.”
The victims both said Arvay and Riggin were wearing bandannas over their faces when they entered their residences. Both said they recognized Avary even though his face was covered but did not know Riggin.
Riggin’s bandanna was reported to have fallen off during the first attack and the victim said the person appeared to be very young and had “peach fuzz type facial hair”
In one of the incidents, a gun was reported to have gone off during the scuffle but the bullet did not strike anyone.
The second victim was injured during the fight, reporting injuries to his ribs and head.
Search warrants were issued for the separate apartments where Arvay and Riggin lived and a gun suspected of being the one used in the residential break-ins was located along with other evidence.
Riggan was reported to have given several versions of how he had fallen in with Arvay. He went from saying Arvay had given him a ride even though Arvay was supposed to have been unknown to him.
He then told police that he had been drinking with Arvay but had become intoxicated and did not remember details of what happened.
Riggan’s had injuries to his face appearing as if he had been in a fight. When questioned, Riggan said he didn’t know how he had been injured.
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