No charges will be served following a judicial review of an incident off Highway 76 between Laurens and Hickory Tavern last Saturday night. A Sheriff’s Deputy had responded with blue lights and siren after a call to 911 reporting a man was being assaulted by 10 other men. Sirens were deactivated after further information indicated the assault was no longer taking place. The deputy spoke with a man who appeared to have been consuming alcohol. He said his girlfriend had gone to a nearby house and returned saying the people there were calling her names. He said he then went to check on this and was very polite but the people there began to yell at him then began to assault him. The man reportedly had some minor injuries that didn’t appear to indicate a 10-man assault. When the deputy spoke with the folks at the other location he was told they were having a cookout when the man came up and began yelling, cursing and name calling. They tried to get him to leave and when one person was attempting to escort him from the property he resisted and an altercation developed.
A supplemental report yesterday notes that a magistrate who reviewed the matter said there was no probable cause to charge the man who struggled with the purported victim with assault as he had a right to escort the man from his property. The judge further indicated there was probable cause to charge the man who claimed he had been assaulted by ten men with trespassing and breach of peace. Those charges, however, were declined. Case closed.