We are part of The Trust Project.
HOWARD, S.D. — A Howard man pleaded not guilty on Dec. 7 to multiple charges of child abuse and aggravated assault, among other charges, following an alleged attack on family members.
Authorities responded at approximately 9:44 p.m. to reports of an active domestic situation at a residence in Howard on Friday, Nov. 11.
A responding officer of the Miner County Sheriff's Office arrived on scene to discover that the male subject, identified by the victims as Pablo Garcia, left on foot.
According to court documents, Garcia entered the residence while intoxicated. One of the victims stated that she and Garcia had an argument, which began inside but moved outside once it began escalating. The argument then turned physical, and Garcia allegedly began punching one of the victims "several times," resulting in the victim needing to seek medical treatment to get stitches. Documents also note that Garcia allegedly punched a juvenile victim and threatened another juvenile witness.
During the incident, the victim stated that Garcia allegedly used bags of mulch to break the windshields of two vehicles belonging to the victim before fleeing the property, court documents say.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Miner County Sheriff's Office, assisted by the Sanborn County Sheriff's Office, located Garcia after conducting a brief search of the area.
Upon locating Garcia, he was taken into custody. However, while being escorted to the back of a deputy's patrol car, Garcia began to physically resist and made several verbal threats to the deputy. He then allegedly attempted multiple times to strike a deputy using his head, but was eventually secured in the transport cage of a patrol vehicle.
Garcia, 36, was arrested and charged with four counts of child abuse, all Class 4 felonies, as well as a handful of simple assault charges with one being against a law enforcement officer, two counts of intentional damage to property, and one count of resisting arrest.
Upon conviction, Class 4 felonies carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and up to $30,000 in fines. Restitution may also be ordered by the court.
Garcia appeared before Miner County courts on Dec. 7 and pleaded not guilty to all charges. His trial date has been set for March 15, 2023.
