BRANSON, Mo. — A man was arrested after officers responded to a call about a person being stabbed in the eye in a Branson restaurant parking lot.

Justin Batten, 36, of Branson, was arrested and formally charged with two felony counts: second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

According to court documents, Batten is accused of assaulting a man on Dec. 14, 2022, in a Taco Bell parking lot in Branson. Batten allegedly approached the victim and started an argument with him before pulling out a knife. The police report says that he then struck the victim “on the right side of the face in the eye” in front of a witness. When the victim went down, Batten reportedly hit him again three or four times.

Batten has a criminal history in Taney County and in California that includes robbery and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Taney County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Batten was not scheduled for a court appearance at the time of this writing.