Inset: Matthew Jones (Greene County Jail). Background: The scene of Walcott and Spring Grove roads in Paragould, Arkansas, where Jones allegedly took control of the steering wheel, resulting in a crash (Google Maps).
An argument in Arkansas spiraled dangerously when a man allegedly seized the steering wheel from his wife, causing their vehicle, which carried their children, to overturn, according to police reports.
Matthew Jones, aged 37, is now charged with aggravated assault on a family member and three counts of endangering the welfare of minors, based on Greene County Jail records.
The incident, detailed in an arrest affidavit sourced by local ABC affiliate KAIT, unfolded just after 7 p.m. on a Saturday evening near the intersection of Walcott and Spring Grove roads in Paragould, a town in the northeastern part of Arkansas.
Police reports indicate that the incident occurred while Jones’ wife was behind the wheel. The vehicle veered off the road, hit a culvert, and flipped, with Jones and their three children all inside at the time.
The five family members exited the car without any serious injuries, although the defendant’s mug shot shows he suffered a gash on his forehead. When the officer on the scene asked what happened, Jones’ wife glared at him and demanded her husband explain, the affidavit reportedly said.
Jones told the cop that he “messed with the steering wheel” but insisted that he “didn’t do it on purpose.”
“We were bickering,” he explained.
But his wife was not going to let him off easily and said her husband caused the crash when he pulled on the steering wheel.
Officers arrested Jones and took him to the Greene County Jail, where he remained as of Tuesday afternoon. His next court date is not listed.
The post Husband blames ‘bickering’ with wife for grabbing steering wheel, causing car to flip over with 3 kids inside: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.