Woman stabs herself during domestic dispute; Baxter County man charged with third-degree domestic batter

A Baxter County man has been charged following a late-night domestic disturbance that left a woman hospitalized with a stab wound. 41-year-old Wesley Watts faces a charge of third degree domestic battery.
According to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to Baxter Regional Medical Center around 11:30 Sunday evening after a woman arrived with a stab wound to her abdomen.

The woman told deputies she and Watts had been involved in an argument at their residence on County Road 27. She stated the disagreement began in the kitchen, where she alleged Watts grabbed and pushed her.

She told deputies she became upset during the argument and retrieved a steak knife, stabbing herself in the right side of her abdomen in an attempt to kill herself. She then contacted a family member for help and left the residence, walking down the driveway toward the road to seek medical attention.

The woman alleged that Watts came up from behind, grabbed her and shoved her to the ground, dragging her across the gravel back toward the house. She said she was able to get away and enter a vehicle to be transported to the hospital.

Deputies responding to the residence reported observing blood on the kitchen floor and down a hallway. Watts told officers a verbal argument had taken place and said he only made physical contact while attempting to prevent the woman from harming herself. He also showed deputies a video recorded inside the home.

Following the investigation, Watts was arrested and transported to the Baxter County Detention Center.

A child who was inside the residence at the time was released to a parent. Deputies collected photographs of the woman’s injuries, and the knife was recovered from the yard as evidence.

Watts is free on $515 bond.

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