A 42-year-old Jacksonville man accused of breaking into his ex-wife's home and attacking her in her sleep remained jailed Friday even though his lawyer persuaded a Pulaski County circuit judge to cut his $40,000 bail to $20,000.
Joey David Adams is charged with residential burglary and second-degree sexual assault, along with misdemeanor counts of domestic battery, violation of an order of protection and refusal to submit to arrest. He faces up to 40 years in prison.
Judge Chris Piazza agreed to the bail reduction Thursday after hearing how Adams needs to be released so he can seek medical treatment and catch up on his child support.
"Make sure you stay away from this lady," the judge told Adams.
Adams and his attorney, Kevin Rook of Cabot, said Adams, extensively trained in electrical wiring, needed to get out of jail so he could get a job to keep up with his child support. Adams has friends ready to help him find work and a place to live, but they have been unable to raise the money to get him out of jail, Rook said.
The lawyer also told the judge that Adams, a military veteran, needed to be free ahead of trial because he wanted to get treatment from the Veteran Affairs Department for his problems. Rook did not describe the nature of those problems.
Adams and his wife separated last year after 10 years of marriage and divorced in August.
Deputy prosecutor Ashley Clancy asked the judge to set substantial bail for Adams, citing her concern about the defendant being a danger to the woman once he's released from jail.
She said Adams' convictions for forgery in 2010 were significant because his former father-in-law had been the victim in those cases. Court records show Adams completed six years on probation, which required him to pay $6,060 in restitution, in April 2016.
Adams has been behind bars since his March 19 arrest two blocks from his ex-wife's home by Jacksonville police going to her rescue, according to an arrest report. Adams was court-ordered 10 months ago to stay away from the 40-year-old mother of his three children and her mother.
The women had obtained orders of protection against Adams in July after they gave sworn statements in court, saying that Adams had subjected them to ongoing harassment and abuse, including threats on their lives and safety.
"[He] told me he was going to take the children and that I would never see them again. Joey told me he was going to drive his [truck] in the house, that he was going to make my life hell," his ex-wife stated in a July petition for a protection order. "[He] said after tonight my life would change forever."
According to an arrest report, Adams' ex-wife called 911 about 2½ hours before sunrise on March 19, telling police that she'd awakened to find her former husband on her in bed where she was sleeping with their 3-year-old son. She managed to persuade him to get off her and go into the hallway to talk, she said.
Adams told her that she was evil for keeping the children from him and threatened to plant cocaine in her car and have her arrested, she told officers.
The couple argued about money, and Adams grabbed her by the throat with both hands and dragged her into the front yard where he threw her to the ground, she told police. She said he then ran down the street, possibly to the home of a friend.
The woman said she didn't know how Adams had gotten into the house, guessing that he could have reached through the doggy door to unlock a door, something he had done before.
Police found Adams hiding under some patio furniture on the back porch of a house two blocks from his ex-wife's home after the residents reported seeing him on their patio, the report said.
Adams told police he lived at the home, denied having any contact with his ex-wife and told the officers they had no right to arrest him at his own home. The report states that Adams repeatedly pulled away from the officers as they escorted him to the patrol car.
A "verbally combative" Adams also tried to head-butt one officer, who blocked him, according to the report.
At police headquarters, Adams told investigators that he was sorry but his ex-wife lied about him and that he should not have to go to jail, the report states.
Metro on 06/02/2018