On Tuesday, October 16, 2018, a Taney County jury found PATRICK E. MALONE, d/o/b 8-26-1970, guilty of three (3) felonies relating to Malone’s acts of domestic violence toward his girlfriend in 2017. The jury deliberated for just over one hour before returning verdicts of guilty on the charges of domestic assault in the second degree, domestic assault in the first degree, and kidnapping in the second degree. Taney County Associate Circuit Court Judge Eric Eighmy presided over the trial and scheduled Malone’s sentencing for December 20, 2018. Malone remains in custody pending sentencing.

The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in the early morning hours of October 6, 2017, at the Rowland Motel, in Branson, where Malone’s girlfriend was visiting him. At just before 8 a.m. that morning, a patrol officer with the Branson Police Department observed a woman with obvious injuries to her face walking on the roadway. The officer stopped to assist the woman, but she was reluctant to explain how she had received the injuries. Eventually, the woman described how Malone had beaten her face and head with his fists, had kept her from leaving his motel room, and had sat on her neck while she was pinned on the floor. She received medical care at Cox Emergency Department, in Branson. When contacted by Branson Police officers, Malone gave varying stories about what had occurred.

Malone was charged by the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office as a prior and persistent felony offender, meaning he has been previously convicted of two (2) or more felony offenses. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Shana Mora tried the case for the Taney County Prosecutor’s Office. Domestic assault in the second degree and kidnapping in the second degree are both class D felonies, which normally carry up to seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. However, as a prior and persistent felony offender, Malone faces a maximum of ten (10) years, instead of seven (7) years, on each of those charges. Domestic assault in the first degree is a class A felony, which carries a maximum penalty of up to thirty (30) years or life in the Missouri Department of Corrections. The jury found Malone not guilty of one count of domestic assault in the first degree and one count of armed criminal action.