PARAGOULD, Ark. — A woman is accused of forcing her way into her ex-boyfriend’s home, striking him and driving her car into the side of the house Sunday morning. Paragould police say her sister tried to hide her from officers afterward.
District Judge Curtis Hitt found probable cause for both arrests. Bond was set at $125,000 for Joanna Eskridge and $50,000 for Jamie Eskridge, both cash or surety. Hitt ordered Joanna to wear an ankle monitor, refrain from possessing weapons and have no contact with the man or others involved in the case if released.
Joanna Eskridge faces felony counts of residential burglary (Class B), first-degree criminal mischief (Class C) and aggravated assault on a household or family member (Class D). She also faces two Class A misdemeanors, third-degree domestic battery and violation of a no-contact order.
Jamie Eskridge faces one count of hindering apprehension, a Class D felony.
What the Man Reported
Police were called to a home on Bradburn Street shortly before 6 a.m. Nov. 8, according to affidavits from Paragould police investigator Blaine Cagle. The man told officers Joanna pushed through the front door and used a knife to get through his locked bedroom door. Police documented damage to the front door frame and a hinge.
The man said Joanna struck him in the back of the head and tried to wrap an arm around his neck. Cagle wrote that a witness’s video supported the man’s account and captured him saying, “Stop choking me.” Officers photographed cuts on both of his forearms.
The affidavit says Joanna clipped a mailbox and struck a trash can as she pulled away, then circled back and drove into the side of the house. Police documented damage to the siding, an awning and an outdoor air-conditioning unit.
Officers Find the Car Outside an Apartment
The man directed officers to a Scott Street apartment, where they found Joanna’s car with visible front-end damage. Jamie told officers her sister wasn’t there, according to the affidavits. Cagle began preparing to seek a search warrant, and Joanna came out of the apartment about 20 minutes after officers arrived.
Cagle wrote that Jamie later told investigators she had knowingly given officers false information to keep her sister hidden. Joanna told investigators she had hit the air-conditioning unit with her car and knew she was violating a no-contact order by going to the house and contacting the man, according to her affidavit. Police said the order followed a reported domestic battery incident in September.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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