A local woman should be thankful for the effort of a bystander in the parking lot of Plateau Bowling Lanes Saturday night. The bystander, who we will call John, noticed a man inside a car on top of a woman beating her.  John rushed to the car, noticed an empty gun holster on the ground next to the car, opened the car door and pulled the man off the woman and out of the car. John also found a .380 Ruger pistol in the floorboard of the car and removed it. Police were called to the scene.  When Crossville police arrived the woman was “terrified and frantic”.  She was covered in blood.  The woman, identified as Kayla Ellis, told police she and a male, Kyle Stemquist, had been at Bootleggers drinking.  They got into an argument at some point. Police questioned Stemquist who stated he never laid hands on the woman. Both parties appeared to be drunk. Police arrested Stemquist and tried to put him in the cruiser when he became belligerent and fought back.

A check with dispatch showed that Mr. Stemquist had two outstanding warrants in Rutherford County for violation of probation, therefore they placed a hold on him. A check with dispatch confirmed that he had two active orders of protection where he is the respondent. A check of Mr. Stemquist’s criminal history also confirmed that he has prior felony and domestic assault convictions. Stemquist was taken to the Cumberland County Jail and charged with aggravated domestic assault, public Intoxication, felon in possession of a weapon, possession of a handgun while intoxicated, violation of an order of protection x2, resisting arrest, and armed dangerous felonies.  Ms Ellis couldn’t pass a sobriety test and couldn’t drive home nor had anyone she could call to come to take her home, so she too was arrested for public intoxication and taken to the Justice Center.