Kenneth Oliver Underwood, 18, of Festus has been charged with five felonies and two misdemeanors for allegedly beating a mother and daughter at a Festus apartment early Monday (March 2). He also was charged for allegedly punching a police officer who was attempting to arrest him, according to court records.
Festus Police got a call shortly before 2 a.m. about an assault at an apartment in the 200 block of Timberwyck, Chief Tim Lewis said.
“The victims are two women, ages 59 and 39,” he said.
The victims knew Underwood, authorities reported.
“He beat them up pretty good,” Lewis said. “The 59-year-old had a pretty good cut on her forehead. They were taken for medical treatment. I don’t have what the 39-year-old’s injuries are.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the mother bleeding heavily from the head. One officer administered first aid while other officers searched the area for Underwood, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
The daughter reportedly told police she went to close her bedroom window and saw Underwood outside the window, and he asked if he could stay at the apartment that night. The daughter said she told him no, but he allegedly “stated he was coming in anyways.” Then, Underwood allegedly grabbed her by the hair and choked her, the report said.
The mother told police she found Underwood allegedly pulling her daughter by the hair as he “was attempting to pull (the daughter) out the window.” The mother also alleged Underwood was choking her daughter, according to the report.
Underwood also allegedly punched the mother on the left side of her face while she was trying to help her daughter. The mother told police she left the room to get a knife, but when she returned, Underwood was gone, according to the report.
A short time later, Underwood allegedly assaulted a patrol officer who found him and was trying to arrest him, another probable-cause statement said.
“He struck me in my right eye, with his right elbow, then proceeded to flee on foot,” the officer said in the report. “I proceeded after Mr. Underwood, catching him in the middle of the street, where I was able to pull him to the ground and hold him there until assisting Festus officers arrived.”
The officer said his right knee was injured during the struggle, and one of the assisting officers also sustained an injury to his left knee, the report said.
Once the officers had Underwood restrained, they allegedly found him with drugs.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Underwood Tuesday (March 3) with first-degree assault and resisting arrest, both class A felonies; third-degree assault and possession of a controlled substance, both class D felonies; third-degree assault, a class E felony; second-degree property damage, a class B misdemeanor; and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, both class D misdemeanors.
Each of the class A felonies is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison; each of the class D felonies carries a punishment up to seven years in prison; the class E felony is punishable by up to four years in prison; the class B misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to six months in jail; and the class D misdemeanor is punishable by a fine up to $500.
Underwood was being held today in the Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.