By Ray King
A $5,000 bond was set Tuesday for a Pine Bluff man accused of choking his wife during an altercation Monday.
Pine Bluff District Judge John Kearney set the bond after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge Sedrick Rauls, 43, with second offense third-degree domestic battery, a felony.
During the court hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Karres Manning said Rauls was arrested after police were sent to a reported domestic incident at a house in the 1500 block of West 37th Avenue at about 1:38 a.m.
Detective Sgt. Michael Roberts reported that the alleged victim told officers Rauls had gotten home late from work and when she questioned him about his lateness, he became angry. She said he pushed her down on the bed and started choking her until her daughter came in the bedroom and pulled him off. Roberts reported that the alleged victim had marks around her neck.
Manning said court records showed that Rauls was previously convicted of third-degree domestic battery, a misdemeanor on Aug. 11, 2018. She said he also had a prior felony conviction for several counts of residential burglary and theft of property in 1995 for which he was sent to prison.
The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Rauls and he was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim until the case is settled.
Although a bond was set on this allegation, Rauls will be held without bond after a parole hold was placed on him. He will be given a hearing to determine if he should be sent back to prison to complete his sentence.