Less than a day after bonding out of jail on felony drug trafficking charges, a 21-year-old Salem man was arrested again Thursday morning for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend and destroying her property.
Logan James Walker was taken into custody at the Dent County Courthouse on Thursday, March 19, following a violent altercation at an apartment complex.
The sequence of events began Tuesday, March 17, at 9:45 p.m., when Dent County deputies stopped Walker's brown Nissan truck on South Highway 19 for an equipment violation. Following a positive alert from a K9 unit, officers searched the vehicle and uncovered a black zippered bag on the center console. Inside, they found a digital scale, a smoking pipe, and nine separate baggies of methamphetamine weighing a total of 87.31 grams (3.08 ounces).
On Wednesday, March 18, Walker was officially charged with second-degree drug trafficking, a Class C felony, along with several driving misdemeanors. Dent County Associate Circuit Judge Nathan Kelsaw set Walker's bond at $25,000 professional surety. Walker posted bond and was released from the Dent County Jail later that day.
By 8:21 a.m. the following morning, Salem Police Detective Lucius Burns was dispatched to a reported domestic assault.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Walker went to his ex-girlfriend's apartment because she had "mostly blocked him" while he was incarcerated the previous day. The victim reported that Walker forced her back into her apartment as she was leaving for work, took her phone to check her messages, picked her up by the armpits, threw her to the ground multiple times, and choked her.
During the altercation, Walker allegedly punched a bedroom door and a mirror, shattering the glass and cutting his hand. Police noted a trail of blood leading from the upstairs apartment out into the parking lot, where Walker then broke the driver's side mirror off the victim's car before fleeing.
When interviewed by police following his arrest at the courthouse, Walker admitted to the property damage and told officers he "lost control." Walker stated he "knew he shouldn't have gone to [the] apartment after getting out of jail," but claimed he needed to hear the victim say their relationship was over.
Following Thursday's incident, Judge Kelsaw issued a new warrant related to Walker’s felony drug case and ordered that he be detained with "NO BOND."
On Friday, March 20, prosecutors formally charged Walker with fourth-degree domestic assault and second-degree property damage in connection with the Thursday morning attack. A new warrant for those misdemeanor charges was issued with a $1,000 cash or professional surety bond, carrying a condition of strictly no contact with the victim.
When asked about Walker’s rapid pre-trial release on the felony drug charges, Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley stated that initial bond decisions fall strictly under judicial purview.
"In Missouri, the judge determines all aspects regarding bond and bail," Curley said. "As such, initial pretrial release decisions are not made by the attorneys for the state."
Regarding the new assault charges and Walker's bond status, Curley confirmed his office is taking action.
"A motion to revoke bond/bail is forthcoming, but not necessary for a judge to suspend a previously imposed bond, based on a reasonable belief that a violation has occurred," Curley added. "Victim input will be obtained and provided to the judge assigned to the case. This is true for every case that involves a victim."
All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
