Photo: Jeremy Willard Jessup
The mother of a Mountain Home man alleged to have been abusive to her appeared during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and asked charges against her son be dismissed.
The mother said her son, 43-year-old Jeremy Willard Jessup, had never displayed such behavior toward her in the past, and she was “shocked” when he was verbally abusive toward her.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Jessup was alleged to have said to his parent she was a bad mother, and he did not love her anymore.
The mother told the court she had “overreacted to the incidents because they were so out of character” for her son.
The mother, identified as 71-year-old Barbara Mickey, was questioned by 14th Judicial District Prosecutor David Ethredge and Circuit Judge Gordon Webb about her request to determine if she was making the request voluntarily and whether she felt her son would be a future threat to her.
Prosecutors dismissed the charges against Jessup at the mother’s request.
Deputies were called to the mother’s residence along Berrywood Lane in the Gassville area twice on Aug. 12 last year. The first trip was made about 6:30 p.m. when the mother reported her son was being abusive to her pet dog.
The deputies reported they made no contact with Jessup on the first call. He was said not to live in the residence.
The second trip to the mother’s home came less than an hour later when she reported her son had returned, putting her in fear for her safety. She told the deputies she did not want her son at her residence and asked he be removed.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Jessup was told to leave the property and did so on foot.
The next day, a deputy returned to the mother’s residence. She said she had come home from a church event shortly after 3 p.m. and found her son inside her home despite him being asked to leave the day before.
She reported locking all of the doors before departing. A deputy said the mother was “mentally distressed, and barely able to talk.” She said her son had broken into her house. The front door to the home was found to have been damaged to the point it would not close.
According to the sheriff’s office incident report, on the third trip to the residence, Jessup had again been verbally antagonistic toward his mother before a deputy arrived. The mother said she was afraid of her son and thought he was going to kill her.
The mother told deputies as her son was leaving the residence, he walked past her car and kicked the vehicle causing about $1,500 in damages. Jessup again left the residence on foot walking in a westerly direction. A deputy made contact with him about a mile from his mother’s home and took him into custody.
Jessup was charged with residential burglary, second-degree assault on a family or household member and criminal mischief.
Jessup also got in trouble while in jail Dec. 21. He said he “acted up” because he was not going to be home for Christmas. Jail staff reported Jessup was using a broken broom handle to repeatedly strike a window leading to the tower area of the jail, and the window was beginning to break and crack.
He was also reported to have thrown a tray and basket at the window.
When a jailer attempted to get the broom handle away from Jessup, the inmate was reported to have resisted – grabbing the jailer’s clothing and duty belt. He was finally subdued and taken to a cell.
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