A 35-year-old Jefferson City man is behind bars without bond after authorities say he ran over a woman with his car during an argument, leaving her with leg injuries severe enough to send her to the emergency room. Matthew Hope now faces first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action charges in Cole County.
According to ABC17News, police were called at 11:56 p.m. last Wednesday for a report of a woman being run over by a car. The victim told police that Hope ran her over with a red Chrysler 300 as she was trying to retrieve her purse from the vehicle after an argument, and the incident reportedly occurred in a driveway.
Officers found the woman lying on her side with injuries to her leg. She was checked out at an emergency room, where she reportedly did not have any broken bones, per the same account.
Arrest Came During a Traffic Stop Minutes Later
Hope was arrested during a traffic stop about half an hour after the alleged incident. Notably, the victim's purse was still inside the vehicle at the time of his arrest, the report notes.
Hope is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. He waived his arraignment, pleaded not guilty and applied for a public defender, the outlet reported. A bond hearing in the case is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.
What the Charges Carry Under Missouri Law
Under the statute cited in the case, first-degree domestic assault is classified as a class B felony unless the person inflicts serious physical injury on the victim, in which case it becomes a class A felony, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Armed criminal action is charged alongside the assault count, tying the alleged use of the vehicle directly to the case against Hope.
The case remains in its early stages, with Wednesday's bond hearing expected to be the next step in the proceedings.
