Cole County assessor pleads not guilty to assault charge
Cole County Assessor Christopher Estes appeared in court Thursday afternoon to be arraigned on a fourth-degree assault charge.
Estes pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The case against the county official was filed after a neighbor accused Estes of punching him in the face over a property line dispute.
Estes and his lawyer, Daniel Dodson, declined to comment following the arraignment.
Judge Aaron Martin set a case review for Nov. 25. Martin replaced Judge Cotton Walker after a professional relationship with Estes prompted Walker to recuse himself from the case.
