JONESBORO, Ark. — A Corning man is charged with second-degree battery following an altercation near Arkansas State University that left a man in a medically induced coma, according to court documents.
Peyton Edward Cartwright was taken into custody by Arkansas State University Police and charged with the Class D felony, officials said. Judge David Boling set Cartwright’s bond at $100,000, as requested by prosecutors, court records show.
The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Oct. 31, when Officer Braxton Morefield saw a man lying unconscious at 2509 Aggie Road, according to a probable cause affidavit. Two men stood nearby, and the officer stopped to assist the victim, who was bleeding from the mouth.
A witness told police he had seen Cartwright strike the man during an altercation, rendering him unconscious, then flee on foot, the affidavit states.
Emergency personnel transported the victim to St. Bernards Medical Center, where doctors discovered four brain hemorrhages. As of the affidavit’s Nov. 2 filing, the victim remained in a medically induced coma on a ventilator. In court, the judge said the victim had since been removed from the ventilator but was still in a coma.
Cartwright told officers during an interview that a female acquaintance had contacted him and said the victim had struck her cousin. Cartwright said he left an on-campus party and confronted the victim near Aggie Road. The affidavit states Cartwright declined to answer further questions about his involvement, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.
Police noted Cartwright had visible injuries to his hand that they described as consistent with a physical altercation. After the interview, officers photographed his injuries and arrested him, the affidavit notes.
Cartwright is scheduled to appear in court again at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 16 in Jonesboro. A no-contact order between Cartwright and the victim was issued in open court on Nov. 2.
All suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.