AVOCA — An Avoca man was charged with a felony count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and first-degree property damage after reportedly crashing his vehicle into another truck.
On March 11, law enforcement responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision in Avoca. When they arrived at the scene the victim was found standing next to a white pickup truck and a broken mailbox was laying nearby.
The victim told law enforcement that he had a contract to remove snow for the city of Avoca and while plowing he'd actually knocked over a mailbox belonging to Timothy John Grave, 75. The victim continue plowing snow after he knocked over the mailbox. He stated that about an hour later he noticed that Grave was following him in a red Ford pickup.
According to the complaint filed in Murray County, Grave followed the victim down a dead-end street where the victim had been depositing snow. When the victim stopped his vehicle, Grave reportedly ran the front end of his pickup into the victim's truck. Both vehicles were damaged.
Grave then reportedly got out of his vehicle with the broken mailbox, threw it at the victim, and began yelling at him.
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After observing the accident site law enforcement determined that Grave did not attempt to stop until he was 5 to 10 feet away from the victim's truck. the victim stated he thought Grave was driving at approximately 20 miles per hour prior to the collision.
The victim also tried to take pictures of the accident but Grave reportedly knocked his cell phone out of his hands and repeatedly shoved him before trying to stomp on the phone. When the victim shoved Grave back, he got into his pickup and left.
At Grave’s residence, law enforcement found the red pickup truck, with damage to the front end. Grave stated he had been following the victim to give him a mailbox, when the victim hit his brakes in the middle of the road and Grave hit him. He stated he hadn’t been aware the street was a dead end and that he didn’t think he’d hit the victim's vehicle that hard.
After the collision, Grave said that he got out of his pickup walked up to the victim, and told him he wanted his mailbox fixed by Monday.
Grave was placed under arrest and transported to the Murray County Medical Center due to injuries that he sustained from the collision. After being medically cleared he was transported to the Lyon County Jail where he was booked and held for court.
Conditional bail was set at $10,000 and Grave's initial appearance is scheduled for March 27.
Grave is additionally charged with several misdemeanors, including fifth-degree assault, disorderly conduct, failure to stop after a traffic collision, reckless driving, and careless driving. Each misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and or a $1,000 fine.
Additionally, if convicted, Grave faces a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment, a $14,000 fine or both for the assault charge. The property damage charge carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment a $10,000 fine or both.
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Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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