Cape Girardeau lawyer accused of assault pleads guilty to reduced charge

Four felony charges against an area criminal lawyer, including two counts of domestic assault and armed criminal action, were dismissed Wednesday at the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

The charges were dropped against Scott D. Reynolds due to a plea agreement negotiated between Reynolds' attorney, Stephen Wilson, and Boone County assistant prosecuting attorney Andrea Hayes Tuesday night.

"The plea agreement was that Scott admitted to pulling a hairpiece, or her lace weave, from her head," Wilson said.

Reynolds was charged with the felonies in February after he and his fiancee got in an argument and she accused him of holding an unloaded gun to her head and pulling the trigger five times.

Wilson said a plea agreement was reached because the prosecution was concerned with the credibility the victim.

"It turns out she's got around seven or eight previous convictions of assault-type behavior. And Scott said the very moment he was interviewed in the highway patrolman's car in front of his house that she had come after him," Wilson said.

Under oath at Reynolds' preliminary hearing, the victim told the court she'd been convicted of passing a bad check in Missouri and of misdemeanor assault two or three times in Kentucky.

"He has always denied, and still denies, that a gun was ever pointed at her," Wilson added.

Visiting Circuit Court Judge Robert G. Wilkins also sentenced Reynolds Wednesday to the time he has already served -- a total of 27 days. Restitution payments were discussed, but Wilson said he's not aware of an order.

"I don't think there were any medical bills or anything," Wilson said.

If Wilkins wouldn't have agreed to the terms of the plea agreement, Reynolds' two-day trial would have begun at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

ehevern@semissourian.com

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