A man accused of assaulting a female and making death threats to her child pled guilty to amended charges during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Wednesday.
Forty-five-year-old Danny Baird was sentenced to five years in prison.
At the time of the early July incident, Baird was working for a business known as the “Platinum Internet Lounge.” The victim said she had been playing video games at the lounge located in East Center Court.
On July 4, Mountain Home police received a report from a third party that a female had been assaulted and threatened at the business. An officer went to Baxter Health and interviewed the woman. She was reported to have suffered injuries to her face, including breaks in the bone structure surrounding her eyes, swelling to the eyes and lips and cuts on her fingers.
The victim said the cuts were inflicted when she tried to grab the knife in Baird’s possession.
She told police Baird had first approached her and said he wanted to show her something. She said Baird had locked the door to the building and pushed her into a restroom where he is began hitting her with a flashlight and his fists.
According to the victim, Baird said he wanted her to make a video in which she would admit stealing money from the business.
Baird threatened to kill the victim and her son if she told anyone about what had happened.
In another out-of-the-ordinary demand, Baird was said to have insisted that the victim raise $5,000 by a certain time and, if she failed, he made the same death threats.-
Baird is alleged to have called a friend to pick the victim up and drop her off at a residence in Mountain Home.
He was originally charged with kidnapping, but the state dropped that charge.
The Platinum Internet Lounge was shut down shortly after the incident involving the victim. Its operator Daniel Scallorn of Green Forest was arrested for keeping a gambling house. He has entered a plea to the charge.
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