Riceville man with history of assaults arrested after ‘hostage’ call

(ABC 6 News) – A Riceville man was taken into custody Monday, April 15, after a call about an alleged hostage situation turned out to be an assault case, according to Mitchel County sheriff Greg Beaver.

According to Beaver, the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office received a call alleging that there was a hostage situation in the 100 block of Woodland Avenue, Riceville.

Beaver said there was a large law enforcement response, and officers used a loudspeaker from a squad car to hail the apartment in question — after which 31-year-old Anthony Evenson and a woman exited and were taken into custody and to a Cresco hospital, respectively.

Evenson was charged Monday with class D felony domestic abuse–causes serious injury, after law enforcement alleged he had “slammed” a woman to the ground and punched her, causing a suspected broken nose, bruising, and a loss of consciousness.

Evenson has three prior assault convictions in Mitchell county dating back to 2011, 2014, and 2021, according to his criminal complaint.

Beaver said the Howard County Sheriff’s Office, Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office, Osage Police Dept., and both Riceville and Mitchell County Regional Health Center Ambulance services also responded to the call.