JULY 25, 2014 4:57 PM
Zachary Garner
By Sabrina Westfall
A 22-year-old man was arrested by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department for allegedly causing serious bodily harm to a Vincennes man.
Zachary J. Garner, of St. Francisville, Ill., is facing a preliminary charge of battery with serious bodily injury, a class C felony. He is being held on $10,000 bond with 10 percent allowed. An initial hearing has not been scheduled as of press time.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Knox Circuit Court by Vincennes Police Officer Jonathan O’Brien, Garner allegedly attacked a male in front of the victim’s residence on June 24.
The Vincennes Police Department was dispatched to Second and Hart Streets around 10:18 p.m. on June 24 with a report of a possible battery.
When O’Brien arrived at the scene, he reportedly observed a male subject sitting on the porch of the residence with a large amount of blood coming from his nose.
The victim alleged he was sitting on his porch alone when a male – who appeared to be intoxicated – jumped on the porch and began yelling, “Are you the [expletive] that called the cops the other night?”, according to the probable cause.
O’Brien noted he had responded to an anonymous call to the victim’s neighboring apartment two days prior reference a complaint of people fighting.
The victim told O’Brien after yelling at him, the male suspect allegedly threw a concrete planter at his head, but missed. The male allegedly then began punching the victim in the face repeatedly while yelling something along the lines of “call the cops now”.
The officer said the victim had difficulty speaking due to the injuries to his face. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital for medical treatment. O’Brien later visited the victim at the hospital where it was documented he had blood coming from his nose, a crooked nose, his left eye was swollen shut and a laceration on his left forearm, according to the probable cause.
He advised the officer he would like to press chargers on his attacker once identified.
O’Brien tried to make contact with the renter next door where the victim had allegedly heard loud noises that sounded like furniture being thrown before being attacked.
Garner’s mother was the renter of the apartment. O’Brien said he unsuccessfully tried to contact Garner and his mother, but saw through the window the apartment was in a disarray.
O’Brien later made contact with the renter, Garner’s mother, who stated she had been in the apartment alone since 3 p.m. and that Garner had not been at the residence. She then noted she had left the residence earlier, and the apartment had been unlocked.
O’Brien asked the renter where Garner was, and she eventually advised O’Brien that Garner had been staying with friends in St. Francisville, Ill. Under the last name of Shelton. She added Garner was in the process of getting his existing parole transferred to Illinois.
VPD was dispatched later in the shift to an alleged battery and criminal mischief in Vincennes in which Garner was suspected to have battered his girlfriend.
The girlfriend allegedly gave VPD Officer Michael Caswell an account of the earlier evening’s events when Garner physically assaulted the victim earlier in the night.
The girlfriend advised she and Garner had stopped at his mother’s residence earlier in the night, then Garner took her vehicle and was gone for three hours. Garner allegedly returned intoxicated, and began arguing with his mother. Garner left the residence again, and as she walked outside allegedly witnessed Garner hitting the earlier victim in the face on the front porch.
Garner then got in the vehicle his girlfriend was preparing to leave in, and instructed her to drive away. At which point Garner allegedly told his girlfriend he took the victim’s phone so he could not call the police. He then broke the phone in half and threw it …..