A Texarkana man accused of shooting a woman who broke up with him is scheduled for a jury trial in September.
Curtis Jones, 52, appeared Tuesday with Cabot, Ark., attorney Tim Blair before Circuit Judge Carlton Jones in a courtroom at the Miller County jail. Curtis Jones is facing a long list of charges related to allegations surrounding the Jan. 21, 2015, shooting of his ex-girlfriend in the garage of her Texarkana, Ark., home.
Curtis Jones was allegedly violent toward the woman during their relationship and became even more aggressive when she cut off communication with him, according to a search warrant affidavit. Curtis Jones was free on a $25,000 bond on a residential burglary charge when he allegedly shot the woman, who is listed as the victim in the burglary case.
The woman told detectives she pulled into her garage at about 8 p.m. when a man wearing a ski mask approached the driver’s side window and began shouting. The woman was unable to get her car in drive and leave before the man started shooting. One bullet shattered a car window and another hit the victim in the thigh.
Despite suffering from a gunshot wound, the woman managed to drive away. She called 911 and headed to the Bi-State Justice Center in downtown Texarkana out of fear she was being followed by the shooter. The woman was transported to a local hospital by ambulance from the Bi-State. The woman told police she recognized the voice of her attacker as Curtis Jones.
Curtis Jones was arrested the following day and has been locked up since. Bail is set at $10 million.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Black told Judge Jones that the state intends to present most of the dozen charges pending against Curtis Jones to the jury. The residential burglary case and a charge of possession of a firearm by a felon will be tried separately, Black said.
Curtis Jones is charged with attempted murder, four counts of terroristic acts, four counts of aggravated assault on a family or household member, and solicitation of hindering apprehension. The solicitation charge involves Curtis Jones’ alleged attempt to get a person to falsely provide him an alibi for his whereabouts at the time the woman was attacked.
Judge Jones scheduled Curtis Jones for a final pretrial hearing September 6 and set the case for jury selection Sept. 19. If found guilty of all the charges, Curtis Jones faces the possibility of life in prison.
