Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon man charged with battery

A Gurdon man has been charged with second-degree battery for allegedly pushing a man into a ditch.

According to the court records on file at the Clark County Circuit Clerk's office, Abraham Starkey Rutherford, 29, was charged about two weeks ago.

The Gurdon Police Department was called on June 10 with a report that a man had fallen into a ditch and was hurt. Gurdon Office Chris Russell reported that Rutherford said the victim was "walking down the road and was kicking at some dogs, and that he (Rutherford) confronted (the victim) and pushed him to the ground."

Rutherford reportedly said he hadn't intended to hurt the man.

According to Tim Patterson with the Clark County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division, the victim said he was going for a walk when "some dogs ran out at him." Patterson's statement, included in the court records, states that Rutherford called out to the victim, then "stepped out onto the road ... and then hit (the victim) in the chest with the heels of both hands, knocking him down." The victim said he was not able to get up, so he rolled into the ditch and waited for help.

The victim was taken to Baptist Medical Center-Arkadelphia and was diagnosed with a "right hip fracture," according to Patterson's statements. The victim was transferred to Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock for treatment.

Second-degree battery is a Class D Felony and carries a possible sentence of up to six years and a fine of up to $10,000.

In an unrelated incident, charges of theft of property and residential burglary have been filed against James Paul Crabtree Jr., 31, 3 Meeks Road, Okolona.

According to records on file with the Clark County Circuit Clerk, a home on Highway 26 West of Okolona was reported to the Clark County Sheriff's Office on June 21. A 32-inch color television set and a window air conditioner were reported missing. A pawn shop employee in Antoine reported that Crabtree attempted to pawn a television there. A similar report was taken from a pawn shop in Arkadelphia. Neither shop would accept the television, but Crabtree did pawn a window air conditioner in Arkadelphia. The serial number of the unit matched the information provided by the victim.