An Oakland man was recently put on 10-years-probation after pleading guilty to criminal charges filed against him in Washington County Circuit Court.
At various times, 26-year-old Austin Douglas Potts has been accused of attacking an ex-girlfriend in Mountain Home, assaulting the same woman and her brother in Washington County, injuring a Baxter County Deputy Sheriff, driving while intoxicated in Marion County and ramming into a boat occupied by two members of a college fishing team on a lake in Oklahoma.
His charges stemming from events in the four locations have included assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, 3rd degree domestic battery, 1st degree battery, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental operations, fleeing and violations of Oklahoma boating regulations.
WASHINGTON COUNTY CHARGES
During the Washington County incident, Potts was alleged to have attempted to run over his ex-girlfriend’s brother with his truck and to have kept the woman in a hotel room against her will.
Potts had been in a relationship with the woman, who, according to court records, had lived in Mountain Home before moving to the Fayetteville area.
The victim alleges while Potts kept her in the Fayetteville hotel room against her will in late February 2021, he battered, choked, head butted and shoved her to the floor several times.
Hotel staff called police and Potts was reported to have fled.
Potts was represented by a Fayetteville attorney, Drew Ledbetter, in his Washington County cases.
DEPUTY SENT TO HOSPITAL
Criminal charges were filed against Potts in Baxter County stemming from two incidents – one of which sent a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy to the hospital.
He was also accused of being violent to the same woman in this county that he is alleged to have attacked in Washington County.
Potts pled guilty to his Baxter County charges in late September 2021 and was put on probation for five years and given 60 days in the county jail.
He was also ordered to pay about $3,500 in victim restitution.
14th Judicial District Prosecutor David Ethredge told the court that Potts’ sentence had been worked out in “collaboration with law enforcement.”
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 after seeing the bike’s tail light was not working.
The biker, later identified as Potts, refused to stop and a pursuit began. A second deputy became involved.
Potts stopped at one point, but would not obey orders to get off the bike and began trying to maneuver around the deputy.
A stun gun was used on Potts to no effect. As he was trying to get away, Potts’ bike struck a deputy, knocking him to the ground. He was treated for his injuries at Baxter Health and released.
The bike was again spotted on U.S. Highway 62 in Mountain Home and MHPD officers became involved in the chase.
Potts entered a subdivision near Baxter Health and traveled some distance without lights.
A short time later, Potts was spotted on foot near the hospital’s parking garage and detained.
The probes from the stun gun were still clinging to Potts’clothing. He gave officers a fake name initially. The motorcycle was later found near where the hospital’s helipad was then located.
Charges in his other Baxter County case stemmed from events in late January 2021 when Potts was accused of going into a now shuttered local sports bar/restaurant and asking his ex-girlfriend to accompany him outside to talk.
The woman who lived in Northwest Arkansas had connections to Mountain Home. She was here visiting friends when the altercation with Potts occurred, according to the probable cause affidavit.
She is the same woman Potts is charged with attacking in the Fayetteville area.
The woman agreed to have a conversation with Potts, but after getting into his truck, the victim alleged Potts drove off with her in the vehicle.
Potts was reported to have prevented the victim from jumping out of the truck by holding her shirt.
She said he 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, then pushed her against the vehicle and began hitting her.
The victim said Potts threw her to the ground several times and choked her.
She told investigators she was also kicked while on the ground. The violence lasted for about 20 minutes, the victim reported.
As they drove back toward Mountain Home, the victim said she jumped out of the truck at the first opportunity and got away from Potts.
She was able to get a ride back to the restaurant where her vehicle was located.
Potts is alleged to have also returned to the restaurant but was reported to have been “run off” by the woman’s friends.
POTTS RAMS COLLEGE STUDENTS’ BOAT
Potts was put on probation on charges filed against him in Oklahoma in 2019.
He is alleged to have become angry at two members of a college fishing team for allegedly being too close to a marina on a lake in Oklahoma on August 27, 2019.
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 Oklahoma lake.
The two teenage fishermen, who were on the lake for a practice session, took videos of Potts and an unidentified male in an aluminum jon boat repeatedly ramming their fiberglass bass boat.
The ramming resulted in a crack in the hull of the bass boat and damage to both the outboard and trolling motors.
The video was played on several Oklahoma television stations and went viral on the web. The story was also picked up by a number of national fishing publications. One website devoted to bass fishing called it the “craziest fishing confrontation weve ever seen.”
Potts was identified as the person driving the jon boat as it repeatedly rammed into the one occupied by the teens.
Prior to taking to the water, Potts was reported to have thrown nails and screws at the two young men, cursed and pulled down his pants.
The college students said they were obeying a sign that said no fishing was allowed within 150 feet of the dock.
Potts allegedly admitted to investigators he had hit the teens’ boat. He said they had been “disrespectful” to the workers on the roof.
In investigative and court records, Potts apparently had no connection to the Oklahoma marina, except doing the roofing work.
The marina owner quickly put out a statement confirming that fact.
TRANSFER OF SUPERVISION
Potts was placed on probation for five years in the Oklahoma case. He was to be supervised until all fines; fees, court costs and restitution were paid.
According to court records, he would then remain on unsupervised probation for whatever remained of the 60-month sentence.
At one point, his case was transferred to the Mountain Home office of Arkansas Community Correction under provisions of the Interstate Compact.
According to court records, the probation he was given on Washington County charges will be supervised by the Mountain Home office as well.
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