Man Who Ran Over Wife Arrested in Alleged Beating of Her

Costa Mesa resident Jerry Allen Holland, who ended an argument with his wife by driving their 2-ton pickup truck over her three times in April, was arrested Thursday morning for allegedly beating her, police said.

The 24-year-old man was arrested at his home on the 300 block of Ogle Street after police received a call from his wife, Lindy Sue Holland, who reported that her husband had assaulted her, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Sam Cordeiro said.

Holland was being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail on suspicion of beating his wife.

Cordeiro said the woman told police that her husband woke her early Thursday and started beating her for no apparent reason, which led to the call to police. The 33-year-old woman had red, swollen marks on her arms and her left ankle, Cordeiro said.

At the couple’s home Thursday afternoon, Lindy Holland said she did not want to talk about the alleged beating.

“This has been a very emotional time. . . . I just can’t talk about it right now,” she cried as she retreated into the couple’s home on a quiet Costa Mesa street.

Only 2 weeks earlier, the woman requested that her husband be released from jail after he ran over her with their truck after she refused to give him her $400 paycheck, Deputy Dist. Atty. Christopher P. Kralick said.

Kralick declined to say whether Holland would be charged in the latest incident.

Holland was charged with attempted murder, assault and assault with a deadly weapon in the April 19 incident. His wife suffered only cuts and bruises because the truck ran mainly over her legs while she was lying flat on the ground, Cordeiro said.

The woman, however, refused to cooperate in prosecuting Holland on the attempted murder charge, Kralick said.

“She made it real clear that she was in love with him and they were going to go to counseling together,” Kralick said.

Without her cooperation, prosecutors were forced to drop the attempted murder charge. Holland then pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 3 years’ probation by a Harbor Municipal Court judge.

“Given the circumstances with that case, I felt fortunate that we were able to get the probation sentence,” Kralick said. “Other situations where spouses refuse to cooperate usually get dismissed without a hearing.”

Kralick said incidents in which girlfriends or wives stick up for their companions happen very often. “We have lots of girlfriends and wives (who) refuse to prosecute,” he said.

And there’s a myriad of reasons: “They don’t want to go to court. They love the man and say it’s an isolated occurrence. They say it’ll never happen again. Or they want to go on with their lives,” Kralick said.

As part of the probation sentence, Holland was restricted from contact with his wife unless she initiated it. He was ordered not to violate any laws and was required to seek counseling and cooperate with his probation officer.