Knoxville Man Faces Five Counts Of Assault With A Dangerous Weapon
Oskaloosa Police Department
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A Knoxville man, Matthew Fletcher, is facing five counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon as well a charge of OWI stemming from an alleged incident in the 400 block of 4th Ave East.
According to the affidavit filed in the case;
“On Sunday May 5, 2013 at approximately 11:36 pm, officers responded to an incident in the 400 block of 4th Ave East where it was reported that a vehicle had attempted to run over pedestrians and gun shots were fired. Witnesses described the vehicle as a white car with an Iowa license plate of [edited out]. This plate came back to a white vehicle. The vehicle had also struck a parked red vehicle. At approximately 11:51 pm, Officer Richard Fortney observed the vehicle as it drove north on Market Street, turn west onto C Ave West and pull into a driveway. The vehicle had damage and red paint on the side of it consistent with what officers had been told. The driver of the vehicle was identified as the registered owner, Matthew Fletcher. On the scene, I was told that four pedestrians felt as if Fletcher was intentionally trying to strike them with his vehicle and a fourth, Terry Shafer, claimed that he was struck by the vehicle intentionally. A passenger in Fletcher’s vehicle told me that Fletcher drove in a reckless manner, struck a parked vehicle and drove toward the subjects through yards and on the sidewalk. Others in the area claimed that Shafer was struck by the vehicle. Fletcher was arrested for operating while intoxicated as well.”
In a second affidavit;
“I arrived on the scene shortly after and spoke with Fletcher. He smelled of an alcoholic beverage, his eyes were bloodshot and glassy in appearance and his balance was unsteady. Fletcher was uncooperative at the scene and refused field sobriety testing. Fletcher was arrested at approximately 12:04 am, May 6, 2013. At the jail, Fletcher consented to a breath test on the DataMaster at approximately 12:52 am which indicated a blood alcohol content of .143.”
A preliminary hearing is set for May 23, 2013 at 10:30 am.
A criminal charge is merely a criminal charge and not an indication of guilt. All suspects should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
