GILLETTE, Wyo. — A woman accused of physically assaulting her boyfriend and going after him with a kitchen knife recently will appear for a preliminary hearing on Monday, Campbell County court records say.
Caron Highhawk, 34, is charged with felony aggravated assault, theft and domestic battery. The charges stem from a Sept. 9 incident where she is accused of physically assaulting a 39-year-old man, throwing whiskey on him, threatening him with a kitchen knife and stealing 10 Trazodone pills from him, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Officers were dispatched to the area around 3:07 a.m. Sept. 9 after the man called to report he was being beaten up by Highhawk. During the call, the dispatcher could hear the ongoing physical assault, the man’s refusal to hang up the phone and multiple attempts to get Highhawk to get a knife away from him, the affidavit states.
When officers arrived, the 39-year-old had physical signs of injury on his face and around his eyes. He stated Highhawk came at him with a large steak knife, which was later found to be a large black and silver kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade, per the affidavit.
The man told officers he and Highhawk had returned to the residence from a bar earlier in the night and had fallen asleep. He was awoken by Highhawk yelling and striking him in the face while demanding to know his phone password, the affidavit states.
According to court documents, the man said his phone was locked out from multiple incorrect password attempts and Highhawk armed herself with a kitchen knife while he called for help. She reportedly angled the knife blade toward the man and motioned like she was going to stab him.
Highhawk denied the criminal allegations, stating she became upset when she saw a notification on the 39-year-old man’s phone. She told officers that he knew the passcode to her device, but she didn’t know his and he was refusing to give it to her. She also said the 39-year-old man wouldn’t let her leave the residence, the affidavit states.
At one point during the disagreement, she expressed her desire to leave and claimed the 39-year-old man became upset, to which she replied with “I’ll ruin you,” per the affidavit.
Highhawk denied holding or touching a knife in the 39-year-old man’s residence; however, when they asked if they would find her fingerprints on one, she admitted to touching a knife, court documents say.
According to the affidavit, the arresting officer concluded Highhawk committed felony aggravated assault by threatening to use a drawn deadly weapon against the 39-year-old man and established probable cause to charge her with domestic violence.
Following her arrest, an officer asked her about having any controlled substances and she admitted to possessing 10 Trazadone pills that she stole from the 39-year-old man’s residence, per the affidavit.
Highhawk will appear in circuit court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 16, when a judge will determine if there is sufficient probable cause to bind the case to District Court for further proceedings, per court records.
Felony aggravated assault is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, or both. Theft with intent to deprive and domestic battery, both misdemeanors, are each punishable by up to a $750 fine, six months’ imprisonment, or both.
