Photo: Matthew N. Collins
An Ozark County man, 39-year-old Matthew N. Collins of Dora, was arraigned Tuesday on charges linked to an alleged assault and abuse of a child. The assault reportedly included a woman being struck by the vehicle Collins was driving.
The Ozark County Times reports Collins was taken into custody on May 7 after reportedly barricading himself in his residence along Spruce Cove.
According to the probable cause statement, a woman, who is unnamed in the document, called the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department on the afternoon of May 7 reporting Collins had assaulted her, along with the Dora man’s girlfriend and the girlfriend’s 15-year-old son.
When law enforcement responded to the woman’s location, she reported having received a call earlier that day from someone who said Collins was assaulting his girlfriend. She said she could hear noises in the background sounding as if the girlfriend was being struck.
The woman reportedly drove to where Collins and his girlfriend were, and a fight broke out. During the altercation, the 15-year-old son of Collins’ girlfriend was also allegedly assaulted.
An entry in a sheriff’s office report indicates the woman told a dispatcher Collins kicked the teen in the head and then “kidnapped” the boy. The probable cause statement says Collins left with the boy in the back of his truck and began driving erratically.
The woman said while Collins was driving erratically with the teen in the truck, he struck her with his vehicle.
The woman and teen were transported by ambulance to Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains. The woman was treated for injuries sustained when she was struck by the vehicle, and the teen was treated for abrasions on his arms, stomach and back.
Officers from the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to Collins’ residence. When he did not answer the door, the officers called Collins on his cellphone. The suspect answered and said he was at Twin Bridges. However, Collins’ vehicle was in the home’s garage at the time.
The sheriff’s report says Collins barricaded himself inside the residence while, outside, officers waited for a warrant.
He was arrested at the home that evening.
Collins is being held in the Ozark County jail without bond on felony charges of second-degree domestic assault and abuse of a child. He is scheduled to appear for a bond reduction hearing Monday morning.
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