A first-degree battery charge was filed Tuesday in Crawford County Circuit Court against a man accused of shooting another in the head with a crossbow arrow.
Kenneth Larrabie Miesen, 42, used a "deadly weapon" in an attempt to cause "serious physical injury" to another person May 22, according to the felony charge filed by Prosecuting Attorney Marc McCuen.
On that day, Raymond Van Holson, 41, was shot in the head with an arrow, and a warrant was issued for Miesen's arrest. Both men live in Chester, population 159.
After being shot, with the arrow still in his head, Holson drove 1.5 miles home and called 911, Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown said.
Holson was transported 35 miles by helicopter to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, where the arrow was removed, Brown said. He said Holson was in good condition afterward.
The sheriff's office report indicates Holson was shot with a crossbow arrow. Brown said the arrow's point was smooth, not a broadhead.
Based on photographs in the report, the arrow entered Holson's head a couple of inches behind his left ear and the tip exited behind the right ear, with the arrow going underneath the skin but not penetrating the skull.
According to the sheriff's office report, which listed the type of incident as "attempted murder," Holson had helped Miesen's girlfriend move some of Miesen's things from her house to Miesen's ex-wife's house "some time ago."
On May 22, Holson was driving his truck down McCaslin Branch Road when he heard an object strike it. He stopped, and heard Miesen cursing him about stealing his belongings. Holson told Miesen he had just helped move them to Miesen's ex-wife's house, according to an incident report by Officer Garrett Bradford.
Holson said Miesen continued to scream at him and started to "fidget" with something that Holson couldn't see, according to the report. Holson started to drive away, then felt the arrow hit him in the back of the head.
Holson asked Miesen if he had shot him. Miesen advised him to call 911.
Miesen turned himself in to the sheriff's office the next day.
Miesen was in the Crawford County jail in Van Buren on Tuesday with bail set at $75,000.
Miesen is a self-employed carpenter, according to the sheriff's office report.
Miesen was found guilty of negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident in 2008 after a car wreck in Fort Smith that killed Paul McAlister, 32.
Metro on 05/31/2017