A Cole County jury found a Russellville man guilty this week of two counts of domestic assault.
Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson said it took the jury about two hours of deliberation to reach a guilty verdict against Brent Lecure, 35.
Richardson said the case was over an incident that occurred in the Russellville area last August during a custody exchange between Lecure and his ex-wife.
"Angry about child support garnishment, Lecure shoved the victim to the ground causing her injury and pinning her up against a vehicle so hard it left a dent in the vehicle," according to a press release from Richardson's office.
With the help of those with her, she and Lecure were separated for a short time before Lecure's mother arrived on the scene. When she did, Lecure's nephew, who had come to the aid of the victim, Lecure came at him, threw him to the ground and choked him from behind.
During the trial, the nephew told the jury that he was going to talk to his grandmother and explain to her what LeCure had just done to them.
Lecure took the stand in his own defense and claimed his actions were taken in self defense.
On cross examination, Lecure admitted he did not have injuries other than a scratch on his chest and admitted that he did not know where it came from and it could have been self inflicted. He also admitted that he did not know what his nephew was doing when the nephew went to speak with Lecure's mother.
Prior to the trial, the court found that Lecure was a third time domestic assault offender and a prior and persistent felony offender. That means Lecure's sentencing range on one count will be up to seven years in prison and on the other up to 15 years in prison.
Sentencing will occur at a later date.