A 70-year-old Umatilla man was arrested after he allegedly hit a man with a shovel during an argument over the victim’s dog.
William Randle Sanford, 70, of 20289 SE 155th Place, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after the recent incident outside his residence.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy he was out in his neighborhood looking for his runaway dog. He said he arrived at Sanford’s residence and could see a lot of movement within the brush and figured his dog was on the property, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said he was standing near the gate of Sanford’s house when he heard what sounded like his dog being hit by someone. He said Sanford then came around to the front of the property with a shovel in his hands, walked over to where the victim was standing and said, “You need to come get your dog,” the report said.
The victim said Sanford started yelling and swung a shovel. He said he used his left forearm to keep the shovel from hitting his head. The victim said he told Sanford he was going to call law enforcement and Sanford went back inside. The deputy observed a large cut on the victim’s left forearm, according to the report.
The victim’s girlfriend said she was standing at the end of the roadway on SE 155th Place when she saw Sanford swing a shovel and hit the victim in the left arm, the report said.
Sanford admitted to the deputy that he hit the victim with the shovel. He said he became upset when the victim’s dog came onto the property and started attacking his dog. Sanford said he made contact with the victim while the victim was standing on the street in front of his gate, yelling at him. He said he felt threatened by the victim yelling at him and hit him with a shovel to defend himself, according to the report.
The deputy detected the odor of alcohol coming from Sanford, who said he had been drinking. Sanford was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released on $2,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on Nov. 3.