The Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Monday (Today), said an Atlantic man was being held in the Adair County Jail on $250,000 bond, on an Adair County Class-D Felony warrant for Willful Injury-Bodily Injury. A criminal complaint states against 53-year old Rex Dean McDermott states that on Oct. 30th at around 11:07-p.m., Adair County Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call from a woman residing in the 1800 block of Highway 92, Fontanelle. The call was with regard to someone beating on her door, saying “help me, help me.” A deputy arrived on the scene to discover a female on the edge of the road, flagging him down. The Deputy observed a woman from Massena was covered in blood.

The woman told the Deputy the man she was with pulled her out of a pickup truck and began to punch her and hit her with a wooden object. A further investigation determined the victim had been with McDermott, and that he had been with him and another man two nights prior, when McDermott was arrested by Cass County deputies. The woman identified McDermott as the man who allegedly struck her. The victim suffered a laceration above her right eye, bruising and swelling of the face and pain in areas where she was struck by the wooden object.

A warrant was issued Oct. 30th, and McDermott was arrested on Nov. 4th.  He made his initial appearance in court on Nov. 5th, during which the judge issued a No Contact Order. His preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 12th.   Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater says the standard Class-D Felony bond according to the Iowa Supreme Court is $5,000. The Sheriff was uncertain why the Judge chose to set McDermott’s bond as high as he did.

On Nov. 3rd, 49-year old Gary Alan Victor, of Bridgewater, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was released the next day on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. Also arrested Nov. 3rd, was 38-year old Michael Gail Steward, of Fontanelle. He was taken into custody at the Adair County Sheriff’s Office for Violating a No Contact Order at his parent’s residence. He was released the same day on a $1,000 cash/surety bond. And, as previously mentioned, 19-year old Brooklyn Leon King, of Jamestown, NY, was arrested on charges of Eluding and Interference with Official Acts. His cash or surety bond was set at $2,000.