Jesse Ray, a Rogers police sergeant accused of choking his wife and threatening to kill her, pleaded not guilty Monday (June 17) to the charges against him, according to the Washington County prosecuting attorney’s office.
Ray is charged with two felonies, aggravated assault and terroristic threatening, and one misdemeanor, third-degree domestic battery, records show.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before the Washington County magistrate and was given an Aug. 13 date to appear in Washington County Circuit Court, officials said.
Not guilty pleas are customary at arraignments to allow a case to proceed in the legal system.
The Rogers Police Department placed Ray on paid administrative leave following his arrest on May 17, deputies said.
According to a preliminary arrest report, Washington County deputies responded to a report of assault at a home on North Jackson Highway in Lincoln on that date in May. Patricia Ray complained she had been choked and beaten up by her husband, Jesse Ray, the report states.
Deputies said Patricia Ray had visible injuries on her face, neck and arms, the report states.
Ray and his wife were at a family member’s house for a birthday party when Ray asked to talk to her in private. That’s when he choked her, beat her and threatened to kill her, the report states.
The victim’s family told Ray to leave, and he later was arrested by deputies, the report states.
He was booked into the Washington County Detention Center.
Ray was released from the detention center on a $5,000 bond, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office website.
Ray shot and killed a suspect in 2009 during a traffic stop, after which the shooting was declared justified, according to the Rogers Police Department.
