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Former Washington County Deputy Accused Of Choking Ex-Wife Out On Bond

FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – A Washington County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday (April 27) after being accused of choking his ex-wife, authorities say.  He...

FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) - A Washington County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday (April 27) after being accused of choking his ex-wife, authorities say.  He was released later Monday on a $5,000 bond.

Steven Hulsey, 43, was booked into the Washington County Detention Center and faces charges of first-degree false imprisonment, terroristic threatening, third-degree domestic battering and aggravated assault, according to jail records.

About 30 minutes after being booked, Hulsey was released on bond.  He is set to arraigned in court on May 27.

Hulsey resigned from the Sheriff's Office last week, officials said.

On Monday (April 27), Hulsey was in a hospital in Springdale but was not there with a physical injury, said Greenland Police Chief Gary Ricker. The police chief would not say whether Hulsey was in the hospital because of mental issues. Hulsey was first hospitalized at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville before being taken to a facility in Springdale, Ricker said.

On April 23 at 3:23 p.m., officers were sent to a residence at 104 S. Napier Ave. in Greenland, according to an arrest report. Authorities received a call about Hulsey threatening suicide, the report states. When they arrived, officers found Hulsey locked in a bedroom, police said. He told them to go away, but they did not, according to the report.

After almost 90 minutes, Hulsey surrendered without incident, the report states.

He was taken to the hospital by his attorney for a possible prescription drug overdose, police said. Inside his bedroom, police found a rifle and a pistol, both contained a fully loaded clip and a round chambered, according to the report.

After Hulsey was taken to the hospital, his former wife, who lives at the same address, spoke with police. She said on Friday (April 17), Hulsey, who is 6-feet tall and weighs 224 pounds, came home intoxicated and got violent with her, pushing her head, police said. The report states Hulsey held a loaded gun to his head and then pointed the firearm at his former wife, telling her to kill him.

When Hulsey's ex-wife said she was going to call the police, Hulsey said, "Go ahead. I will kill them. Then they will kill me," according to the report.

On April 23, Hulsey caught his former wife looking through his phone and computer at 12 p.m., the report states. He got upset, and she left the residence, police said.

When she returned later that day, he started yelling at her again, and she threw a shoe at him, according to authorities. The report states that Hulsey got up, pushed her down twice and then started choking her. While choking her, he said, "You want to die? You are going to die," the report states. Eventually, she blacked out. When Hulsey's ex-wife regained consciousness, her daughters were coming into the residence, getting home from school, police said. She told them to call 911.

After that, she left with her daughters, and the last time she saw Hulsey, he grabbed his gun, went into his bedroom and locked the door, authorities said. Officers noted in the arrest report that they could see "visible bruising and markings" on the victim's neck.

As first reported by 5NEWS, Hulsey, who held the rank of corporal, submitted his resignation letter on April 22 and resigned on April 24.

The criminal investigation by Greenland police began on Thursday (April 23), one day after Hulsey submitted his resignation letter, Ricker said.

The termination notice from the Washington County Sheriff's Office noted Hulsey resigned during an "internal investigation."

 

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