An Oakland man already facing a criminal charges in other Baxter County cases has recently picked up two new felony charges against him.
Austin Douglas Potts faces charges of kidnapping, a Class Y felony, and second-degree domestic battery, a Class C felony, stemming from an alleged encounter with his ex-girlfriend in January.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, Potts’ ex-girlfriend visited the Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 21 and told deputies that the night before she was at a local restaurant when Potts approached her. He allegedly asked the woman to come out to his truck to talk, then drive off with the woman as an unwilling passenger.
Potts allegedly drove to Midway, ordered the woman out of the truck and then began hitting her. Potts allegedly threw the woman to the ground several times, kicked her and choked her. The woman told deputies this lasted for about 20 minutes.
Afterwards, the woman said Potts forced her back into the truck and returned to Mountain Home, where the woman was able to jump out of the vehicle at the intersection of Highway 5 North and Highway 62 West and flee. She returned to the restaurant where her car was parked and her friends chased Potts off when he reportedly returned to the restaurant looking for her.
Photos were taken of the injuries the woman said she sustained in the attack. The woman had visible redness to her back and visible bruising to the back of her legs, the front of her legs and scratches to her left leg, the probable cause affidavit states. Marks on both the woman’s legs and palms appeared to be from gravel. Several days later, additional photos taken showed massive bruising that originally could not be seen, the affidavit states. The scratches and abrasions on the woman’s legs and palms were also more prevalent.
Potts faces a number of other felony charges in Baxter County, including aggravated assault, second- degree battery and fleeing. The incident that resulted in Potts’ initial Baxter County charges began in the early morning hours of Sept. 6 last year when Potts was riding a motorcycle and allegedly refused to stop for a sheriff’s deputy. Potts allegedly stopped at one point but would not obey and stuck a deputy with the motorcycle while leaving the scene.
Potts was eventually detained by law enforcement after being sighted on foot near the Baxter Regional Medical Center’s parking garage.
At the time of the pursuit, Potts was on probation on charges filed against him in Oklahoma in 2019.
He is alleged to have become angry with two members of a college fishing team for allegedly being too close to a marina on Lake Cobb in Oklahoma.
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 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.
As a result of the August 27, 2019 confrontation, Potts was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and boating violations, including not having current registration and failure to have required equipment.
He was not immediately taken into custody. He was arrested in Marion County on Nov. 7, 2019 for drunk driving and, according to court records, extradited to Oklahoma.
Potts was placed on probation for five years. 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.
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