Pratt attacker under arrest

A man arrested Tuesday morning for aggravated assault and robbery is now being charged with the Christmas Day assault of Arizona lawmaker Frank Pratt.

Hilyard Bardley Scott, 34, admitted to beating, robbing and tying up Rep. Frank Pratt at his Casa Grande swimming pool business Christmas Day, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Scott’s girlfriend, Brittany King, corroborated his comments, according to a probable-cause statement.

In addition to the admission, police have collected evidence implicating the man in the crime, including fingerprints and shoe prints left in blood and dirt.

Scott was arrested with his girlfriend Tuesday on a warrant out of Pinal County on an unrelated case for aggravated assault and robbery.

At the time police only referred to Scott as a person of interest in the Pratt case.

However, when Scott was arrested police discovered a binocular case that was determined to belong to Pratt and had been in the Yukon, and King had the binoculars in a bag she was carrying.

King told police Scott told her about the attack on Pratt and about taking his vehicle. Police also said King told interviewers that Scott pawned Pratt’s Rolex watch for $900, and that they had been living off that money.

Court documents said Scott made statements during his interview that placed him at the scene of Pratt’s attack and told police, “The victim’s Rolex watch looked real, and the victim appeared to be a rich man.”

Police said when Scott was arrested he was wearing a pair of Reebok shoes with soles that matched the shoe prints at the Casa Grande crime scene and those inside the stolen Yukon, discovered this past Friday, Dec. 31, at a Phoenix hotel where Scott’s girlfriend, Brittany King, reportedly filled out registration paperwork for herself and an unknown male.

Scott is being held without bond on charges related to the Christmas Day crime.

File photo