COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The man arrested following a fight at the Coldwater Burger King on Sunday night remains in the Branch County Jail this morning, more than a day after being arraigned in Branch County Circuit Court.
22 year-old Austin James Lawhead, of Coldwater, is facing up to 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine after being formally charged with a felony for an altercation that turned physical.
According to the Branch County 3-A District Court complaint filed by the Branch County Prosecutor’s Office, Lawhead is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation. The charges stem from a Sunday night incident at the restaurant, where Lawhead allegedly confronted a coworker over a personal item he believed was stolen.
The complaint also alleges what was witnessed in a viral video, that Lawhead returned from a break around 9:00 p.m. and engaged in a heated argument at the front counter with a 46-year-old fellow employee. Lawhead then allegedly jumped over the counter, placed the victim in a chokehold, struck him in the head with a cellphone, and bit his face.
Judge Brent Weigle set Lawhead’s bond at $10,000 and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, that despite a request from prosecutors for a bond of $100,000.
Once released Lawhead has a no contact order with the victim and is barred from being on Burger King property.
A pretrial conference is set for 1:30 p.m. October 8, with a preliminary examination at 10 a.m. October 15.
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