Springfield police: Man attacks new partner of ex-girlfriend
Update: In 2014, Ussery pleaded guilty to one of the lesser felony charges, unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to five years probation, but completed the program in less than three years.
Original story: Police say a Springfield man broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home, assaulted her new partner and threatened him with a butcher knife.
According to a probable cause statement, the woman awoke to noise on her balcony in the early morning hours of Dec. 28. When she went to check it out, she found Houston L. Ussery, 29, trying to get in through the locked sliding glass door.
She opened the door and yelled that Ussery couldn’t come in but he pushed his way in, according to the statement.
Ussery went right to the master bedroom as the woman shouted “He’s here.” When Ussery got to the room, he started punching the woman’s new paramour in the face, police say.
The men began to “scuffle on the floor” before Ussery broke free and went to the kitchen where he pulled a large butcher knife off the counter, according to the statement.
The man told police Ussery pointed the knife at him and starting threatening him while the man “tried to talk Ussery into a more calm state,” according to police.
The statement says the men struggled with each other again before Ussery had the knife knocked out of his hand.
The man attempted to hold Ussery down until police arrived but Ussery got free. He left by way of the balcony but had dropped his car keys at some point during the struggle.
When police got to the home, they found the man with a swollen lip split in several places — the worst being about an inch wide and deep.
Police say there were items scattered around, a knife under the Christmas tree and blood on the bedsheets.
The woman was not injured, according to the statement.
Police found Ussery’s car in the parking lot and had it towed. Ussery later contacted an officer, wanting to have his car released from the towing company.
“He advised me that he would not be providing a statement in regards to the matter,” the statement says.
Ussery was arrested on Jan. 3, according to the statement.
He was charged the next day with three felonies — burglary, assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. He also was charged with two misdemeanor assaults.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield police: Man attacks new partner of ex-girlfriend
