by Alexandra Quilici
Monday afternoon brought forth one witness in a preliminary hearing against James Curtis Farris. He is accused of two counts of domestic violence. Judge Paul K. Richardson ruled there to be enough evidence to move forward with the case.
The witness called forward was Officer Nathan Odden. He responded to the 911 call made by the alleged victim after the incident occurred. He described the victim as having cuts on her face and bleeding from a cut on the nose. He also described her tooth as chipped.
The alleged victim told the officer that her boyfriend became upset with her after she refused to lend him more money for his business, after previously giving him $1000 the day before. He became angry and violent and “punched and dragged her across the floor.” She also stated to police that she feared for her life and was going to leave town because he threatened to come back and kill her.
When Farris was questioned by the police he claimed that she had slipped and fallen.
The victim declined medical attention and never followed up with police after the incident. The defense questioned the extent of her injuries, and the officer confirmed that she did not lose consciousness or feel dizzy. She also did not specify whether her chipped tooth came from the incident or had previously been there.
The officer admitted the chipped tooth was not hanging from the root, and there was no blood in her mouth. She told the officer that she “sustained injuries” but she did not provide any information about her well-being after the incident. She needed no sutures or stitches for her cuts.
Because of all these combined details, the defense asked for the enhanced great bodily injury (significant and substantial injuries) count to be dropped. They claimed there was not enough evidence to prove the degree of the injuries.
The judge agreed that the enhancement charge should be dropped, as he did not think the chipped tooth provided enough evidence to support the claim for the enhanced charge to be applicable. However, the remaining two counts of domestic violence still remain.
Court will reconvene and proceed with this case on Tuesday, September 26 at 10:00 am.
