Following a Texas County Sheriff’s Department investigation of an incident on May 27, a Licking man faces three felony charges related to alleged assault.
Roger L. Counts, born in 1999, of 13176 Pritchard Lane in Licking, is charged with second-degree domestic assault, third-degree assault – special victim and resisting arrest for a felony.
According to a probable cause statement, a deputy was dispatched to a residence in Texas County (of unreported location) regarding a report of an assault.
The officer spoke with a man there who said he had heard a commotion coming from inside the home and observed another man come out and tell him Counts had assaulted him.
The deputy reportedly spoke with Counts, who reportedly said dogs had been fighting in the residence, and the victim had grabbed one of the dogs and began choking it. Counts then said he put the victim in a choke hold and told him he would stop when the dog was let go.
The officer spoke with the victim, and he reportedly said Counts had put him in a choke hold and punched him in the stomach.
When the deputy went to place Counts under arrest, he reportedly physically resisted and ended up in a tussle with the officer and a witness. He was eventually placed in handcuffs and taken to the Texas County Jail.
Cash-only bond in the case is set at $5,000.