Staff Reports
A Garfield man was arrested Sunday, Nov. 22, after he met deputies with a .22 rifle when they went to his home to investigate cruelty to a dog.
Raymond William Maresh, 63, of 18875 Sugar Creek Rd., Garfield, was arrested in connection with three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer or correctional employee, felony aggravated cruelty to animals and possession of firearms by certain persons, according to Benton County Jail records.
A person called deputies and reported Maresh had been dragging his Doberman Pinscher behind his truck on Sugar Creek Road earlier in the day. The neighbor told deputies Maresh said the dog bit him, according to a probable cause affidavit for Maresh's arrest.
When deputies arrived at the house, they found an injured Doberman tethered to a white truck and lying under a bus on the property, according to the report.
One deputy knocked at the door and another saw Maresh asleep through a window, the report said. Maresh got up and rummaged in a corner before making eye contact with the deputy. When the deputy repeated he was with the Sheriff's Office, Maresh put a scoped .22 rifle to his shoulder and took aim at him though the window. Deputies took cover behind a truck on the property and called for Maresh to put down the weapon. Maresh told deputies to "get on the ground," while pointing the weapon at them, according to one deputy's account of the incident.
Once Maresh was handcuffed, deputies found the rifle was loaded with 14 rounds and one was chambered. He told deputies he hadn't dragged the dog, and the dried blood on his clothing came from when the dog bit him, according to the report. Maresh had a mark to his hand.
The dog had road rash on one eye, blood on its hind paws and exposed bone on one forepaw. It was taken to a Springdale veterinary clinic. Animal control officers and veterinary staff told deputies the dog wasn't vicious, according to the report. Veterinarians told deputies the dog's collar was too small and had been choking the animal. It was sent to an animal shelter after treatment.
Maresh's wife allowed deputies to search the home. Deputies seized 46 weapons including the .22 rifle, a high-powered rifle near a gun safe and 44 guns, mostly high-powered rifles and some handguns, inside the safe. The guns were seized as Maresh had a previous felony conviction.
A note found by his wife in the house read "Going to Lowe's. The dog is dead. Lol. He won't move. I'll be back. Love you," according to the report. Maresh was intoxicated.
Maresh was still in jail Monday, Nov. 30, in the Benton County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
General News on 12/02/2015