A man accused of attacking a former girlfriend at knifepoint in September at her home in New Boston, Texas, entered pleas of not guilty this week to two counts of aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon.
Brandon Harrison, 30, appeared for arraignment Tuesday before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart. Deborah Moore of the Bowie County Public Defenders Office entered a not-guilty plea to both counts on Harrison's behalf.
Harrison was allegedly hiding in a bedroom of the woman's house when she returned to home on South Bowie in New Boston after being out most of the day Sept. 15, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. Officers were called to the house at about 4:30 p.m. by the alleged victim's current boyfriend, who stated he received a text from the woman stating that Harrison had held her at knifepoint and would not allow her to leave.
When members of the New Boston Police Department and Bowie County Sheriff's Office entered the house, they quickly took Harrison into custody and the woman ran out of the front door. The woman allegedly told investigators that Harrison had been hiding in a bedroom and attacked her when she got home. The woman reported that she was sexually assaulted in her bedroom by Harrison as he held a knife to her throat.
"The state has made an offer in this case for (prison) time," Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp said. "The offer is for a pretty significant amount of time, so we might be heading for a trial."
Crisp said the state has turned over to the defense evidence it intends to use against Harrison at trial but that the results of DNA testing have not been received from the state crime lab.
Lockhart said that it could be summer of 2018 before the court's trial schedule has an opening for Harrison's case. Harrison is being held in the Bowie County jail. Bail is set at $250,000. Lockhart scheduled Harrison to return to court in January for a pretrial hearing.