Charles City man accepts plea deal after assaulting family member

A Charles City man who assaulted a family member accepted a plea deal during Friday morning proceedings in Charles City Circuit Court.

Curtis William Cole Jr., 42, of the 5100 block of Old Union Road, entered guilty pleas to one count of assault on a family member (third offense) and eight counts of misdemeanor violation of a protective order. One count each of malicious shooting, felony possession of a weapon, misdemeanor reckless handling of a firearm, and an additional 11 counts of misdemeanor violation of a protective order were dropped.

In a summary of evidence provided by Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Tyler, on Sept. 17, 2015, Cole got into a verbal argument with the victim. The confrontation escalated, with the defendant hitting the victim in the face. After Cole was taken into custody, he attempted to contact the victim from jail after a restraining order had been placed against him. Each of the charges account for one day, from Dec. 2-9, 2015.

Under the agreement, Tyler will recommend a sentence range according to the guidelines, which ranges from seven months to two years. Formal sentencing for Cole is scheduled for June 17.

In another circuit court matter, a charge of extortion was dropped against David Scott Yates Sr. The charge was dropped due to a conflict in the venue location.