Man with bat busts into home, then threatens three with lawn mower blade, TN cops say
A Tennessee man was arrested with an assault charge after deputies said he threatened a group of people with a lawn mower blade.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a domestic violence call Friday, Oct. 13, after a man from Telford struck a home’s door with a baseball bat and commanded those inside to let him in, deputies said in an Oct. 16 news release. The three people in the home were his wife, her niece and her niece’s boyfriend, who both lived there, according to an arrest report obtained by McClatchy News.
McClatchy News is not identifying the suspect to protect the identity of the victims.
Earlier in the week, the 60-year-old man left in his wife’s car and did not come back until Friday at about 9:30 p.m., the report said.
After demanding to be let inside, his wife opened the door, and the man walked in with a lawn mower blade, according to the report. Deputies said the man appeared to be intoxicated.
Then he began to make threats against the three family members in the home, according to the report.
“The suspect was wielding the lawn mower blade around in the living room where all parties were present,” the report said.
Seeing the blade, the niece’s boyfriend pulled a “nearby stick object” from the kitchen area, the report said, which angered the man. He “waved the lawn mower blade” and told the boyfriend, “Yeah I’ve got something for you too (expletive),” according to the report.
While in the home, deputies said the man “retrieved items from a safe,” and left shortly after.
Deputies arrived at the scene after the man fled the home, according to the sheriff’s office. A warrant was issued following the incident, the report says.
A day later, he showed up to the Washington County Detention Center to inquire about if his wife reported that his car was stolen, deputies said.
He was then arrested “without incident” on an aggravated domestic assault charge, deputies said. His bond was $50,000.
The man was scheduled to appear in court Oct. 16.
Telford is about 90 miles northeast of Knoxville.
This story was originally published October 16, 2023 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Man with bat busts into home, then threatens three with lawn mower blade, TN cops say."
