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Arrests made in theft, assault cases
Luna
LUNA
A Smithville man was arrested by the sheriff’s department and charged with with theft of property under $500 last week.Robert Justin Luna, 26, allegedly took two steel beams from property on Joe Turner Road on Jan. 6 and sold them at a local recycling business.His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court Feb. 2. Meanwhile, Sheriff Patrick Ray reported that two men were arrested by the sheriff's department in separate domestic assault incidents last weekend.Victor Glen Gingerich, 42, and 51-year-old Clifton Eugene Brown were both arrested.Gingerich has been charged with assault, domestic assault, and resisting arrest.Deputies responded to a domestic call on Brooke Lane on Jan. 8.Although officers said that they could see Gingerich inside the home when they arrived, they alleged that no one answered when they knocked on the door of the residence.An open cell phone was found on the porch and the officers could hear movement inside the home.Witnesses reportedly heard a female say "don't hit me or push me."They also allegedly heard Gingerich say that he was going to kill the female, and reported hearing a loud bang from inside as if someone had been thrown against the wall.Gingerich allegedly elbowed a deputy in the face after authorities forcibly entered the home to break up the melee.Deputies say that Gingerich refusing to be placed into restraints, and that he had to be taken down to the floor before they could get the cuffs on him.After Gingerich was handcuffed, he allegedly spit in a deputy’s face.His bond is $7,500 and he will be in court on Jan. 19. Brown was charged with domestic assault and cited for simple possession on Jan. 7 after deputies were dispatched to a Halls Hollow Road home to quell a disturbance.In addition to assaulting a woman by pushing her against furniture, cutting her arm, slapping her, and throwing her to the floor, Brown also allegedly disconnected the phones so she could not call for help.Upon Brown’s arrest, a metal bottle containing two pills believed to be Soma was found in his front pocket.His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court Feb. 16.Forty-nine-year-old Earl Joseph Yost of Sparta was charged with a third offense of driving under the influence on Jan. 7.He was also cited for failure to maintain lane of travel.