Trial for man accused of shooting ex-girlfriend scheduled for September

The suspect became violent after the woman attempted to end their relationship, police say

A man accused of shooting his former girlfriend because she refused to speak to him is scheduled for a September jury trial in Miller County.

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Jessie Leopard Smith

Curtis Theo Jones, 52, appeared Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing before Circuit Judge Carlton Jones with Cabot, Ark., defense lawyer Tim Blair. Curtis Jones is facing a bevy of charges in connection with the Jan. 21, 2015, shooting of a woman with whom he was once romantically involved.

When the woman attempted to end their relationship, Curtis Jones allegedly became violent. The woman was shot in her garage and drove herself to the Bi-State Justice Building for help believing her attacker was following. The woman was awarded a default judgment of more than $200,000 in a civil suit against Jones last year.

The woman told investigators she had just pulled her car into her garage Jan. 21, 2015, at about 8 p.m. when a man approached her wearing a black ski mask, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. When the masked man began yelling, the woman was allegedly able to identify him by his voice.

Before the woman could put her car back in drive and get away, Jones allegedly pulled a pistol and began firing. One of the four shots shattered her driver's side window and another struck the woman in the thigh.

Jones was arrested the following day and has been in jail since.

Jones faces a charge of attempted murder, four counts of terroristic act, four counts of aggravated assault on a family or household member, a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon and a charge of solicitation of hindering apprehension or prosecution. Jones is also charged with residential burglary for allegedly breaking into his former girlfriend's home Dec. 29, 2014.

Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Black said a charge of terroristic act was filed for each of the shots Jones allegedly fired. The solicitation charge involves Jones' alleged attempt to get another person to provide a false alibi.

At Tuesday's hearing, Black said the state will ask the jury to decide whether Jones is guilty of all the charges related to the shooting except for the firearm charge. Black said the state has severed that charge from the others. The residential burglary case will be tried separately as well, Black said.

Bail on the 11 charges related to the shooting is $10 million. Jones was free on a $25,000 bond set in the residential burglary case when he was arrested in the shooting case. At an initial court appearance in mid-January 2015, about a week before the shooting, Jones was ordered to have no contact with his former girlfriend.

Attempted murder is punishable by six to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. For using a gun during the offense, Jones could receive an additional 15 years, which he must serve consecutively to any time ordered for attempted murder.

One of the counts of terroristic act is punishable by 10 to 40 years or life. This charge concerns the bullet that struck the alleged victim. Jones faces the possibility of a 15-year firearm enhancement on this charge. Each of three other counts of terroristic act is punishable by five to 20 years and a fine up to $15,000. The 15-year firearm enhancement is possible on each of these charges. Four counts of aggravated assault are each punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. The firearm enhancement is possible on each of these counts as well.

Judge Carlton Jones said the case is scheduled for a final pretrial hearing in early September and jury selection Sept. 19.

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