Pierce City man to stand trial on domestic abuse charges

Jun. 24--MOUNT VERNON, Mo. -- A judge decided after a preliminary hearing Monday in Lawrence County Circuit Court that a Pierce City man should stand trial on domestic abuse charges.

Associate Court Judge Scott Sifferman ruled that there was probable cause for Kenneth L. Wolff Jr. to be bound over for trial on single counts of first-degree domestic assault and second-degree domestic assault as well as two felony counts of child endangerment. The judge set the 21-year-old defendant's initial appearance in a trial division of the court for July 13.

Kimberly R. Wolff testified at the hearing that her husband started becoming "controlling" and abusive with her in November 2019. A probable-cause affidavit alleges that he would get upset with her about her use of Facebook, tried to make her stay home from work on her birthday and accused her on another occasion of skipping out on work to go "running around."

At other times, he would be physically abusive, including pushing her against the sink when she was pregnant, grabbing her forcefully and trying to shove her down some stairs, she testified. On other occasions, he pushed one of their three children and threw a plate of french fries, almost hitting her and one of the children, she said.

But she acknowledged on cross-examination by public defender Alex Salazar that neither she nor any of their child suffered injuries requiring medical attention on the various nights in question.

Two other defendants waived preliminary hearings in felony assault cases brought before Judge Sifferman on Monday.

Brian W. Haley, 52, of Aurora, waived a hearing on counts of first-degree assault and driving while revoked and was ordered to make his initial appearance in a trial division of the court July 13.

Haley is accused of trying to run down April Weeks with a Jeep he was driving on Dec. 25, 2018, in Aurora. She told police that her fiance saw Haley's vehicle coming and pulled her out of harm's way at the last second.

Jonathan E. Brannan, 39, of Monett, waived a hearing on counts of first-degree domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and fourth-degree assault.

Brannan is accused of pulling a knife on his teenage stepson and threatening "to gut him like a deer" during an argument with the stepson's mother on March 29 at the Plymouth Landing Apartment in Monett. The defendant had been drinking at the time and the stepson was attempting to intervene in his mother's defense, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Brannan purportedly admitted to a police officer that the argument began over the defendant's anger with the stepson having spent $11 at a Dairy Queen.

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