The Sheriff’s Office yesterday made an arrest in connection with two alleged assaults on Ranch Road last Saturday evening. Deputy Kenneth Sibley was initially dispatched to the 1600 block of Ranch Road, where a 40-year-old Clinton man reported a man pushing a disabled 4-wheeler had hit his truck as he passed by, and that when he challenged the man they fought. The subject had reportedly left the scene when picked up by his mother. Deputy Sibley and other officers were then dispatched to the Ranch Road area near Smith Road, where the Highway Patrol was investigating a wreck. A 57-year-old Gray Court man told of turning onto Ranch Road from US 221 and that a white 4-door Mazda Millennium came up on his bumper, then passed him on a yellow line at the fire station, almost hitting two oncoming vehicles. He said the Mazda stopped abruptly across the railroad tracks. After he passed by it on the left, the Mazda driver allegedly came up on his car fast and rammed him, almost knocking him off the road. The car reportedly rammed his vehicle a second time. Concerned for the safety of his wife and two grandchildren in the car, he pulled off the road. The Mazda driver pulled into a driveway and the driver walked away on foot.
The Sheriff’ Office made an arrest in both incidents yesterday, accusing a Ranch Road area resident with assaulting five people Saturday. 21-year-old Zoltan Michael Szabo of 88 Alamo Trail, Laurens was charged with four counts, Assault and Battery 1st Degree, one charge of 2nd Degree Assault and Battery, two counts of Malicious Damage and one charge of Driving under Suspension.
Deputy Kenneth Sibley states that on June 28th Zoltan Michael Szabo committed battery upon a victim by ramming his vehicle into the rear of the vehicle driven by one victim on Ranch Road and in which three other victims were passengers. Deputy Sibley states that Szabo willfully and maliciously did damage in the amount of $2,000 to the 2002 Buick LeSabre driven by one of the victims. Szabo was allegedly operating a motor vehicle on Ranch Road June 28th while his privilege to drive was suspended.
Deputy Sibley also alleges that Zoltan Szabo committed battery on another victim by hitting him and causing him to fall and injure his knee on Ranch Road. He is also accused of doing damage less than $2,000 to person property of this victim by hitting his vehicle, causing damage.
Zoltan Michael Szabo was being held in the Johnson Detention Center overnight, pending arraignment on the eight charges today.