JONESBORO, Ark. — A Jonesboro man is facing a felony charge after a woman reported he struck her in the head with a tequila bottle and choked her during a domestic altercation on November 8.
David Lajuan Hightower is charged with second-degree domestic battering, classified as a Class B felony. District Judge Tommy Fowler set Hightower's bond at $75,000 on November 9, also ordering him to wear a GPS ankle monitor and adhere to a no-contact order if released.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the woman told police that Hightower, identified as her boyfriend, became upset over a social media post, prompting her to ask him to leave her residence. She alleged he later returned and struck her in the head with a tequila bottle as she turned toward the kitchen, causing the bottle to shatter and leaving her with a bleeding cut on the left side of her head.
The woman claimed Hightower then pinned her down by her neck after the alleged attack. Fearing for her life, she said she began apologizing to get him to stop. Officers who responded noted that her injury was still bleeding at the time.
Police located Hightower by stopping a white Ford Crown Victoria registered to him. He was arrested and booked into the Craighead County Detention Center.
Court documents revealed that Hightower had a 2021 conviction for third-degree domestic battering. This prior conviction escalated the severity of the current charge to a Class B felony under Arkansas law.
Judge Fowler appointed a public defender to represent Hightower. His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on December 16 in Craighead County Circuit Court.
All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.