Barring a plea agreement, a Scott County jury could soon decide whether a Quad Cities man was indeed chasing his wife around with an axe at a Davenport casino.
Public defender Anthony Almquist, of Davenport, asked for a speedy trial on behalf of 43-year-old Jeromy Lee Anderson, of East Moline, IL. Anderson is accused of wanting to cut more than his losses during an Easter morning altercation.
District Court Judge Mark Fowler set a June 14 trial date for Anderson on Thursday.
Write the date in pencil, however. Defendants often withdraw the speedy trial demand to give their attorneys more time to form the defense or reach a plea agreement. Multiple trial delays are common in Iowa.
Assistant Scott County attorney Heather M. Fielder used criminal complaints to file formal charges on May 18. Anderson faces three counts:
- Going armed with intent — a Class D felony.
- First-offense domestic abuse assault while using or displaying a dangerous weapon — an aggravated misdemeanor.
- Carrying an illegal weapon (a knife with a blade exceeding 5 inches) — a serious misdemeanor.
Witnesses see axe in parking lot, casino
Davenport police responded at 8:02 a.m. Easter Sunday to the Rhythm City Casino Resort for “a disturbance involving a male subject chasing a female subject with an axe.”
“Multiple uninvolved people as well as surveillance cameras,” witnessed the altercation, according to an affidavit from officer Robert Welch.
Fielder, the county attorney, used Welch’s report to move ahead with charges. They think Anderson “retrieved an axe from a vehicle and chased [his spouse] while brandishing the axe overhead in a threatening manner.”
In his criminal complaint, Welch told the court events unfolded in the Rhythm City parking lot as well as inside the casino:
“The defendant was still armed with the axe and aggressively yelling at the victim in the parking lot when officers arrived. The defendant’s behavior, yelling and violent actions in a public setting gave alarm to other citizens.”
Welch also said Anderson had a knife with a blade length measuring 5.25 inches in a sheath on his belt.
County attorney’s office seeks enhanced sentence
Authorities issued a protective order on behalf of Anderson’s spouse. The court has so far denied her request to have the no-contact order dismissed. Chief District Judge Marlita Greve told Anderson’s wife that she must clear the request with the county attorney’s office first.
Prosecutors will ask the court to consider a more severe sentence if Anderson is convicted. They consider him a habitual offender for the following convictions:
- Burglary for Aug. 14, 1997, acts in Rock Island County, IL.
- Possession of methamphetamine Sept. 25, 2020, in Rock Island County.
- Possession of a controlled substance, also Sept. 25, in Rock Island County.
Anderson described himself as self-employed in his application for a court-appointed attorney.
