HOT SPRINGS -- A Malvern man was arrested Wednesday, accused of assaulting two Garland County sheriff's deputies, threatening them with a stick and jumping into a lake in an attempt to get away.
Rodney Todd Pennington, 46, was taken into custody at 4 p.m. and charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and two counts of second-degree battery and fleeing, each punishable by up to six years in prison. He also was charged with misdemeanor counts of third-degree domestic battery, third-degree battery and refusal to submit to arrest, each punishable by up to one year in jail.
Pennington remained in custody Friday nightwithout bail for the domestic battery charge and bail totaling $14,500 on the other counts. He is scheduled to appear Sept. 12 in Garland County District Court.
According to the arrest affidavit, at 3:45 p.m. deputies Jon Lane and Roy Elliott responded to 110 Bayou Point on a domestic battery call. As the deputies were getting out of their patrol car, Pennington charged at them, yelling that he was not going to jail, the report said.
They asked Pennington to calm down and place his hands on the patrol car, but he refused and walked away, according to the report.
As deputies followed him, he turned toward them in an aggressive manner and Lane drew his Taser and ordered Pennington to stop and get on the ground, according to the report. After refusing to comply and moving toward the deputies, Lane deployed his Taser, which did not affect Pennington.
Pennington then punched Elliott in the jaw, injuring him, then pushed both deputies off him and fled into the woods, the affidavit said. Pennington picked up a "very large stick" and swung it at the deputies, the affidavit said, and Lane and Elliott drew their weapons. The deputies told Pennington to stop and drop the stick, at which point Pennington turned around and dropped it, the affidavit said.
Pennington was told multiple times to get on the ground, but he ran down an embankment and jumped into the lake. He swam to a nearby dock, where Arkansas State Police took him into custody.
State Desk on 08/27/2016