He struck man in the chest who'd recently had open-heart surgery

An Adair Village man was indicted and charged Monday with attempted murder for trying to kill his father, police said. Dustin Mathis, 24, remains at the Benton County Jail on $250,000 bail. His court appearance is set for Thursday.

On Dec. 29, Mathis reportedly clubbed his father, Dennis Mathis, with a pistol, striking him three times in the face and punching him in the chest. The elder Mathis, 46, had open-heart surgery two weeks ago, according to details from court and police paperwork. Benton County Sheriff's Office logs indicated that Dustin Mathis was intoxicated.

The incident occurred at the residence for both men, 248 N.E. Azalea Drive in Adair Village. A deputy responded there at about 1:53 a.m. Dec. 29. Dustin Mathis was located and arrested later that morning.

Besides attempted murder, Dustin Mathis is charged with second-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and coercion. After the elder Mathis was knocked down by the blows, the sheriff's log indicated that Dustin Mathis stood over his father holding a fully-loaded .45-

caliber pistol for three minutes, threatening to kill the elder man.

The indictment states that Dustin Mathis also threatened to shoot another man to prevent him from calling the police.

Dustin Mathis initially was charged with attempted murder, second-degree assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon on Dec. 29. He pleaded not guilty to those charges. He also has been involved in a custody dispute with the mother of his 3-year-old son. On Dec. 22, that woman won a restraining order to prevent abuse against Dustin Mathis, and alleged a history of violent acts against her.

Attempted murder has a mandatory minimum sentence of more than seven years in prison. Second degree assault carries a mandatory minimum of nearly six years in prison.

"All the other counts are subject to the firearm minimum, which is five years minimum," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Stringer.

Kyle Odegard can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.