A Winona man’s bond was reduced to $25,000, and he was bound over to the action of a Montgomery County Grand Jury for an aggravated assault. However, he’s currently out on bond and facing a grand jury for another aggravated assault.
Kentarius Hobbs was charged with aggravated assault, and he pled guilty and waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Winona Municipal Court. Hobbs is currently out on bond for another aggravated assault, in an unrelated case.
“So, this is another case, and you’re already out on bond for something else?” Lancaster asked Hobbs.
“Yes sir,” Hobbs said.
“You know aggravated assault is a pretty serious crime,” Lancaster told Hobbs, who promised the judge that if he was able to make bail he would stay out of trouble.
Lancaster lowered his bond from $100,000 to $25,000.
In other court business, in the case against Julius Howell, Lancaster dismissed the case on the basis that the City of Winona didn’t have sufficient evidence. Howell was charged with abusive calls to emergency personnel.
Former office Lt. Bryant Bell told Lancaster that he and Officer Orlando Bolden were at the hospital on other police business when they received the first 911 call from Howell. Howell told dispatch that there were people in his home that were trying to get him.
“I went to his house, and he was outside with a flashlight pointing it at the tree line and he said they ran in the tree line. He said they were inside his house and were trying to come through his air conditioner.” Bell said. “I told him don’t call us if it’s not an emergency.”
He said he went back to assist Bolden, who was still at the hospital.
Bell said dispatch received a second call from Howell, who again said the people were back and they were trying to get him.
“I go back to his house and he was outside again with a flashlight,” Bell said. “I told him that no one is trying to get him and I told him to look me in my eyes. I said don’t call us unless it’s an emergency. If you call again, you’re going to jail.”
Bell said he returned back to the hospital and while there, Howell called dispatch a third time with the same thing. The people were back and they were trying to get him.
This time, Bell said he went to Howell’s home and he wasn’t outside with a flashlight because the sun was coming up but because of the multiple calls to police, Howell’s neighbors were outside wondering what was happening.
Bell testified that he thought Howell was dealing with substance abuse.
In his defense, Howell said he thought there were people really trying to get him and that was the only reason he called, and he wasn’t treated medically.
“Are they gone?” Lancaster asked Howell.
“Yes sir, they’re gone. They’re not there anymore.”
In the case of Nathaniel Coach, Coach was charged with simple assault for pulling a gun out on his neighbor’s dog.
