A Paragould man, Matthew Scott Jones, is accused of aggravated assault on a family or household member and three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor after grabbing the steering wheel during an argument, causing a vehicle to leave the roadway, strike a culvert, and overturn with three children inside.
Incident Details
According to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Detective Lt. Jack Hailey, Paragould police responded to the crash near Walcott and Spring Grove roads at approximately 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, August 1. Officers found a single vehicle that had left the roadway, struck a culvert, and overturned. Three children had been inside the vehicle when it crashed, police reported.
Officer Kendrick Walker spoke with the driver, who looked toward Jones and asked him to explain what happened. Jones allegedly told the officer, “I messed with the steering wheel. We were kind of arguing and bickering.” When Walker asked whether Jones had caused the vehicle to leave the roadway, Jones allegedly responded, “I didn’t do it on purpose. We were bickering.” The driver told the officer that Jones “grabbed it,” referring to the steering wheel, according to police.
Original reporting: NEA Report (Jonesboro) — read the source article.
