Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – A Jonesboro man is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond after police said he held a kitchen knife to the throat of a pregnant woman and directed two unidentified women to kick her in the stomach.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on March 16, Jonesboro police officers responded to a disturbance at an unspecified address. Officers found the victim with visible injuries, including swelling to her left cheek and a cut on her hand.
The victim identified her attacker as 39-year-old Rishawn Omar Hughes, who she said is the father of her child. She informed police that she was three months pregnant, a fact she said Hughes knew.
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The victim told officers that Hughes initially entered her home to retrieve some of his belongings. Upon seeing an unknown man in the victim’s bedroom, Hughes allegedly struck her in the face, took a television, and left the home.
Shortly after, Hughes returned and continued the assault. During the struggle, the victim said Hughes held a kitchen knife to her throat and threatened to kill her. The victim suffered a cut to her hand while trying to pull the blade away.
The situation escalated when Hughes allegedly pinned the victim down and directed two unidentified women to beat her, instructing them to “stomp her stomach in.” The affidavit stated that the women complied, kicking the pregnant victim in the stomach and ribs. Before running away from the scene, Hughes threw the victim’s phone on the ground. He later sent her a text message expressing his hope that she and her baby would die.
On March 18, Hughes was arrested regarding a separate incident and charged with second-degree domestic assault against the same victim. Two days later, Hughes appeared before District Judge Tommy Fowler, who found probable cause to charge him with two felonies related to the March 16 attack: Second-degree domestic battering causing physical injury (a Class B felony) and first-degree terroristic threatening (a Class D felony).
In determining Hughes’ $250,000 bond, Judge Fowler noted the suspect’s extensive history of non-appearance, which includes 11 failure-to-appear charges and multiple failure-to-comply charges. As conditions of his bond, Hughes was ordered to have no contact with the victim and must wear a GPS ankle monitor upon release.
Hughes is scheduled to appear in court next on May 18. If convicted, he faces up to 26 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.
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