ST. GEORGE —A St. George man was arrested Friday facing aggravated assault charges after allegedly pulling a machete on a customer and a bouncer during an altercation inside the One and Only Bar earlier this month.
Douglas Jackson, 41, was arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on two third-degree felony counts of aggravated assault and misdemeanor disorderly conduct Friday shortly after 10 p.m.
The arrest stems from an incident reported Nov. 1 when officers were dispatched to the One and Only Bar on 800 East in St. George on a fight in progress, according to charging documents filed with the court.
During the initial 911 call, an employee reported that three intoxicated men were fighting inside the bar. When officers arrived, they found one of the men had sustained minor facial injuries and scrapes to his arms.
The report also states the man, who was later arrested in connection with the altercation, told officers he was jumped by another bar patron who attacked him with a machete, adding that the suspect swung the machete several times at him, causing the scrapes to his arms, before he was able to punch the suspect, knocking him to the ground.
While still at the scene, officers were approached by one of the bar’s bouncers who told them he had witnessed the fight and was able to identify the suspect with the machete as Jackson, and said he saw the suspect inside the bar with the weapon just prior to the alleged assault.
The witness also told officers that Jackson appeared to be trying to start a fight with the man and the bar patron’s friends, and had been asked to calm down and to stop numerous times. When the bouncer attempted to intervene, Jackson allegedly swung the machete at him, “almost slitting his throat,” the officer noted from the bouncer’s recount of events to police.
The suspect then fled the bar in his vehicle just prior to officers arriving.
A criminal check revealed that Jackson had a no-bail warrant out of American Fork, along with two traffic warrants, one out of Juab County Justice Court and another issued out of Washington County. Officers were unable to locate the suspect immediately following the incident.
On Friday night, Jackson was located by police and detained. During questioning, Jackson allegedly admitted to taking the machete to the bar on the night in question, explaining to officers that he took the weapon to defend himself, and said he swung the machete, but denied striking anyone with it.
Jackson was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked on the above-listed offenses and is being held without bail.
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