Man charged with threatening police with knife appears in court

Mountain Home police responded to a local motel on September 3 after a person called the Suicide Hotline and said he was going to kill himself and was actively cutting himself with a knife.
The man, 68-year-old Joe Edwin Ashcraft, appeared during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday and entered a not guilty plea to charges of aggravated assault. He was ordered to reappear December 1.

When officers arrived at the Mountain Inn on U.S. Highway 62 East, they went to the room reported to be occupied by Ashcraft and knocked on the door but no one answered.
One officer attempted to enter the room with a keycard but it would not work and another officer shouldered the door several time.

Ashcraft is reported to have started yelling at that point, cursing and telling the officers not to break out the window in his room.

Another keycard was used and it open the door allowing police to gain entry. Ashcraft was reported to have been sitting in his wheelchair and turned on the officers as they entered the room.

Ashcraft was also alleged to have picked up a knife and brandished the weapon toward the officers. As police were trying to get Ashcraft to drop the knife, he was yelling at them to shoot him.

A Taser was deployed, but Ashcraft is reported to have pulled the probes out.

An officer was able to kick the knife out of Ashcraft’s right hand and the lawmen were able to get him into handcuffs.

Emergency Medical Technicians were on scene and tried speaking to Ashcraft but he was reported to be very belligerent. He was finally taken from the scene by Baxter Health ambulance.

Ashcraft is free on $5,000 bond.

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