Twenty-eight-year-old Austin Douglas Potts who has listed addresses along Webber Road and on Highway 5 North in Mountain Home on court documents appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday (February 2)on new charges.
A local attorney, Ben Burnett, also appeared for Potts, waived arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to a 1st degree terroristic threatening charge. Potts is being charged as a habitual offender meaning whatever sentence he receives could be enhanced.
Burnett also entered not guilty pleas on behalf of his client on charges contained in two revocation petitions. The petitions allege that Potts has violated the terms and conditions of his probation in two earlier Baxter County criminal cases by being arrested on the new terroristic threatening charge.
ALLEGED THREATS
It is alleged that Potts made threats to the estranged husband of a female. The victim told investigators he believes Potts was in a relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife. According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim said the couple is currently in the process of getting a divorce but that papers had not been filed when investigators talked to him.
The victim alleges Potts had made death threats toward him and also made threats to his children.
Investigators were provided with phone conversations between Potts and the victim in which Potts is claimed to have said that he was going to “put a hot one” in the victim and he would be dead and never see his children again.
Potts is also alleged to have issued numerous challenges to the victim to meet and fight, saying that he (Potts) was going to hurt the victim.
The male victim in Potts’ latest terroristic threatening charge filed for an order of protection to keep Potts away from him but did not show up for a hearing on his petition held January 21 and it was dismissed.
Potts has been accused of attacking ex-girlfriends, holding one of them in a hotel room in Northwest Arkansas against her will, injuring a Baxter County Deputy Sheriff and repeatedly ramming a boat occupied by two members of a college fishing team on Fort Cobb Lake in Oklahoma and driving while intoxicated.
He is alleged to have attempted to run over an ex-girlfriend’s brother with his truck in Northwest Arkansas.
The woman told investigators she had been in a relationship with Potts and had lived in Mountain Home before moving to Fayetteville.
She said Potts had kept her in a Fayetteville hotel room refusing to let her leave in late February 2021. She told investigators that Potts had battered, choked, head butted and shoved her to the floor several times. Hotel staff called police and Potts was reported to have fled.
He was given 10 years-probation in the Washington County cases. On January 30, revocation petitions and warrants of arrest were issued in the two cases, according to electronic court records.
DEPUTY INJURED
The incident involving the deputy began in the early morning hours of September 6, 2020. According to the probable cause affidavit, the deputy saw a motorcycle pulling out of a closed access road in the Pigeon Creek area of Lake Norfork.
The deputy attempted a traffic stop on State Highway 201 when he saw the bike’s taillight was not working. The biker, later identified as Potts, refused to stop and a pursuit began with a second deputy joining the chase.
Potts stopped at one point but would not obey orders to get off the bike and began trying to maneuver around a deputy. A stun gun was used on Potts to no effect. As he was trying to get away, Potts’ bike struck the deputy knocking him to the ground. He was treated and released at Baxter Health.
The bike was spotted next on U.S. Highway 62 in Mountain Home and Mountain Home police became involved in the chase.
Potts eventually entered an area near Baxter Health and traveled some distance without lights. A short time later, Potts was seen on foot near the hospital’s parking garage and detained.
Probes from the stun gun were still clinging to Pott’s clothing. He initially gave officers a fake name. The bike was later found near the hospital’s helipad.
Potts was also charged after he went into a former sports bar in Mountain Home and asked a female to accompany him outside to talk.
The woman is the same one Potts was charged with attacking in the Fayetteville area. She had connections to Mountain Home and had been involved in a relationship with Potts.
The woman said she agreed to have a conversation with Potts, but after getting in his truck, Potts drove off and was alleged to have prevented the victim from jumping out of the vehicle by gripping her shirt.
She told investigators Potts began screaming at her. They eventually pulled into the parking lot of an industrial plant located along State Highway 5 North.
The woman said Potts told her to get out of the truck and when she did, he is alleged to have pushed her against the vehicle and began hitting her. The victim said Potts threw her to the ground several times and choked her. She said Potts also kicked her while she was on the ground.
The violence was reported to have lasted about 20 minutes, according to the victim. As they drove back into Mountain Home, the victim said she jumped out of the truck at the first opportunity.
Another female who saw the woman dazed and bloodied picked her up and took her back to the sports bar where her friends were, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Potts is alleged to have also returned to the restaurant but was reported to have been “run off” by friends of the victim.
Potts pled guilty to his Baxter County charges in September 2021 and was put on probation for five years and was also given 60 days in the Baxter County Detention Center.
Potts has also been arrested in Marion County where he was charged with driving while intoxicated.
14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge told the court that the plea offer made to Potts in his Baxter County cases had been worked out “in collaboration with law enforcement” since some of the charges were filed against Potts stemming from the incident in which the deputy was injured.
In Oklahoma, Potts is alleged to have repeatedly rammed a boat occupied by two teenage members of a college fishing team on Fort Cobb Lake. At the time of the incident, Potts was described as a contractor who was installing a new roof on the Sunset Cove Marina on the lake.
The two teenagers, who were on the lake for a practice session, took videos of Potts and an unidentified man in an aluminum jon boat repeatedly ramming the fiberglass bass boat occupied by the teens.
Potts was shown to be the one driving the smaller boat. The ramming resulted in a crack in the hull of the bass boat and damage to both the outboard and trolling motors and fishing rods. The insurance company that covered the bass boat declared it a total loss.
The video of the incident that was taken by the students was played on a number of Oklahoma television stations and went viral on the worldwide web. The story was also picked up by national fishing publications. One website devoted to bass fishing called the incident “the craziest fishing confrontation we’ve ever seen.”
Prior to taking to the water in the jon boat, Potts was alleged to have thrown nails and screws at the two young fishermen, cursed and pulled his pants down.
The college students said they were obeying a sign that said no fishing was allowed within 150 feet of the dock. Potts is alleged to have admitted to investigators that he had hit the teens’ boat claiming they had been disrespectful to the workers replacing the roof on the marina.
The marina owner put out a statement to point out Potts and his crew had no connection to the business except for doing roof work.
Potts was placed on probation for five years in the Oklahoma case and probation was ordered to be supervised until all fines, fees, court costs and restitution had been paid.
According to court record he would then remain on unsupervised probation for whatever remained of the 60-month sentence.
His charges through the years have included: resisting arrest, aggravated assault, 2nd degree battery on a police officer, violation of restricted driver’s license (interlock device required), no rear taillight, fleeing and reckless driving.
The list also includes false imprisonment, aggravated assault on a family or household member, 3rd degree domestic battery, kidnapping, 2nd degree domestic battery, terroristic threatening, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, not having required equipment on his boat and not registering the boat.
Females have filed petitions seeking orders of protection to keep Potts away from them. The affidavits allege violent behavior, threats made to them and their families, stalking and harassment. One victim wrote in her affidavit that Potts had choked her and struck her in the head and other parts of the body.
On his latest charges, Potts was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center on January 11. He was freed the same day after posting a $10,000 bond.
Records show that Potts is under the supervision of the Mountain Home office of Arkansas Community Corrections. His supervision is scheduled to end in February 2034.
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