A West Plains man has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action after his cell phone was found at the scene of the alleged attack, People's Park off of Broadway.
Alexander Dean Harris, 27, Renfrow Avenue, has also been charged with third-degree assault. Cpl. Shannon Sisney of the West Plains Police Department, in a report submitted to prosecutors, stated a woman told him she had been assaulted by a man at about 2:30 a.m. May 19 near the pavilion at People's Park.
She reported to the officer that she had been sitting in a cut-out area between the restrooms at the park, looking towards the pavilion, when the suspect jumped her and began choking her and striking her face with his fist.
She said she was able to get away and run, but he tackled her, began hitting her in the face again, and threatened to kill her. The alleged victim added he had what she thought was a knife in his hand, and at one point held it to her throat, and she believed he was about to kill her.
She said she was able to get up again and run away. Sisney reported when he returned to the park with the woman to gather her belongings, she showed him where the second attack happened, and found a phone in the mud she thought was hers. However, after realizing it didn't belong to her, the victim gave the phone to Sisney.
During his investigation, Sisney reportedly saw the phone received messages directed to Harris, and further investigation revealed Harris' address. When officers responded, Harris was allegedly sitting on his front porch wearing jeans that had mud on the knees as if he had been kneeling on the ground, and had two spots of blood on them.
When Sisney asked Harris if he lost his phone, Harris reportedly checked his pockets and said he "might have." Sisney noted the suspect had the strong odor of intoxicants and was swaying while standing, and allegedly admitted being at the park but denied assaulting anyone.
Harris had blood on the palm and knuckles of his left hand, and abrasions on his right knuckles were observed as he was being booked into jail, Sisney stated. When shown a photo of Harris, the alleged victim identified him as the suspect.
Samples of blood from Harris' hands and jeans and swabs were collected from the victim for comparison at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, Sisney said.
Harris was held with $50,000 bail and released with a reduced bond of $25,000, according to court records. He is scheduled to be in court for arraignment at 1 p.m. today before 37th Judicial Associate Circuit Court Judge R. David Ray.
