By Gary Dickson, Editor – Siouxland Observer

BERESFORD – A 40-year-old Beresford man was arrested at about 4:00 a.m. on the morning of Monday, Dec. 16 in Beresford for Aggravated Domestic Assault by the Beresford Police Department.

According to court records, Cephas Joseph Wood’s girlfriend had called the Beresford Police Department stating that she and Wood had been arguing and he would not let her back in the house. After disconnecting from the victim, Beresford Police Officer Colton Laubach went to the residence where he met with the victim. According to court documents, the victim told Officer Lauback that she had been looking through the phone that Wood uses and found evidence of him having an affair. She apparently confronted him about the affair and they began arguing. She reported that Wood had been drinking.

The victim reported that she had an anxiety attack and told Wood she just wanted to go to bed, “but Cephas continued to yell at her, so she started to pack up her clothes.” Wood then came up behind her, the victim said and wrapped his arm around her neck.

Officer Laubach asked the victim what happened during this.

Laubach wrote that the victim “stated [Wood] choked her hard enough to where she could not scream or ‘holler’. The victim said that she tried to bite his arm and did everything she could to get him off.” She said she might have scratched him during the struggle.

The victim said, “I thought he was going to knock me out.”

Officer Laubach talked to Wood who was inside of his camper. According to court documents, Laubach said that Wood stated “that him (sic)) and the victim were having a fight blaming each other for cheating. Wood said that the victim punched him in the face and that he was going to bed. Wood said that he walked up behind her, gave her the keys to the camper, and then went and laid (sic) in bed.”

Laubach noted there were scratch marks on Wood’s forehead and nose, which he stated were possible defensive marks.

At that point, Officer Laubach stated he thought there was probable cause to place Wood under arrest for Aggravated domestic assault. He then transported Wood to the Union County Jail in Elk Point to be lodged.

Since his arrest on Dec. 16, Wood has asked for and received a court-appointed attorney. On Dec. 18 a Union County Grand Jury indicted Wood on one count of Aggravated Assault-Domestic “in that he did attempt to induce a fear of death or imminent serious bodily harm by impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of another person by applying pressure on the throat or neck by blocking the nose and mouth.”

Wood had a bond set at $5,000 to be paid with sufficient solvent sureties or cash. As of Jan. 1, 2025, the defendant was still lodged in the Union County Jail in Elk Point, S.D. His next court appearance will be his arraignment which is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6 at the Union County Courthouse.

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Note, that any person named in a Siouxland Observer crime story is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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