JONESBORO, Ark. – The accusations were serious, the consequences were severe, but it was all fabricated, according to statements made to detectives.
Now, a Jonesboro man who was accused of pointing a gun at his 10-year-old son is free and the case has been closed.
The incident in question happened Monday night, just before 7 p.m. A female, Jennifer Schoonover, called 911 according to the report and said her husband, Steven Schoonover, was drunk and had pointed a gun at their 10-year-old son. She told police he passed out in the front yard of the house next door. The man was arrested and faced one felony count of aggravated assault on a family member.
The following day, wife Jennifer would tell Jonesboro Police Department Detective Jeremy Parnell, “she had made up a lot of the story of what exactly had happened last night,” the report states. According to the report, the scorned wife said they had been having problems and she told him to “pick either me or his job.” The husband chose the job, upsetting her.
“She continued to tell me that he never pointed a weapon at her son and that she was outside watching when this was supposed to have happened,” Parnell reported. “She said her son even told the caseworker that he did not point the gun at him. I advised her that these are serious statements she is making due to the fact that she could be charged for making a false report. She said that she understood and can’t be responsible for him losing his job.”
The detective then took the woman into an interview room and Mirandized her. She continued to describe events.
“She said her son exaggerates a lot and feels that when he took the gun out the muzzle may have been turned towards him but not pointed at him,” Parnell wrote. “Jennifer stated the police were called the night before and that she had struck him but he never struck her. All this she said is because of him talking to another woman. She said during the interview that she had stayed at another location the night before and she had been speaking with him throughout the day and he told her he spoke with a lawyer and told her he choose his job over her.”
The wife detailed her reaction Monday evening when she arrived home, including throwing items and barricading doors with her body weight during arguments.
“She told me she made up the story due to him hurting her by saying he choose his job over her and that this was the only way she knew she could really hurt him was by him losing his job,” Parnell reported. “She stated she understood the consequences of the situation.”
The interview with Jennifer Schoonover was placed into evidence, according to the detective’s report. Meanwhile, Steven Schoonover was released from jail and the case against him was closed.
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