UPDATE 5-30-23 — Cole Penson pleaded guilty to four of his six felony charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.
In a plea deal, Penson admitted guilt to the first-degree domestic assault charge and three charges of unlawful possession of a firearm. He was given five years for each charge, but the sentences are to be served concurrently.
Original article, published Nov. 29, 2022:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man was arrested after police responded to a call about a woman being assaulted by a man with a gun.
Cole Curtis Penson, 36, of Springfield, was formally charged with one felony count of first-degree domestic assault and six felony counts of unlawful possession of a firearm on Nov. 23.
According to police reports, the victim called the Springfield Police Department to tell them that an assault had occurred and that she was going to shoot Penson, adding that there was a 3-year-old in the residence.
When police arrived, Penson was not at the scene. Law enforcement saw significant amounts of blood in several rooms. The victim had visible injuries on her face.
“I’ve never been beat this bad,” she told responders once she was able to speak. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.
At the hospital, police interviewed her. She told them that there were multiple firearms in the house, and only one belonged to her. Police later confiscated the following:
- A Marlin Glenfield Model 60 semi-automatic rifle.
- A Remington Nylon 66 semi-automatic rifle.
- A Glock 19 semi-automatic handgun.
- An FIE single-barrel 20-gauge shotgun.
- A Taurus PT 58 S semi-automatic handgun.
- An Olympic Arms semi-automatic AR-15 rifle.
The victim gave police a narrative of the fight that occurred after Penson came home from playing the mobile game app Pokémon Go. Penson allegedly punched her in the face and slammed her head against surfaces until she lost consciousness in front of her 3-year-old child. At one point, she grabbed a pole believed to be a towel holder from the bathroom and began beating Penson with it.
Eventually, Penson left the residence with one of the guns after realizing the police were being called, according to the police statement, making comments about not going back to prison.
After he was in custody, Penson told police that he was assaulted for no reason — choking, biting, punching, and striking him with a metal rod from the bathroom shower until he felt he had to fight back by punching her in the face.
The victim had injuries on her face, swelling around her knuckles, and abrasions on her chest, back, and arms.
Penson pleaded not guilty to his charges and applied for a public defender. He has an initial hearing scheduled for Dec. 6 at 8 a.m. at the Greene County Courthouse.
