A Clermont man was arrested for battery after allegedly swerving his golf cart at a boy on an electric bike and grabbing his arm.
A deputy responded to a physical altercation involving a juvenile and 61-year-old Joseph Arthur Schultz in the area of Sanctuary Drive and Rolling Plains Circle in Clermont at 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The juvenile victim advised that he was riding his electric bike in the neighborhood when he waved at Schultz. He called out, “Hey, Joe,” which he claimed was a “lucky guess” at his name. Schultz became angry and turned around to chase the juvenile victim and his friends, the report said.
He tried to hit the juvenile victim off his bike by swerving a golf cart at him. The juvenile victim had to move to avoid being struck by the golf cart and feared for his life during this incident. He continued to move away from Schultz, but he got cut off by the golf cart, the report said.
Schultz then grabbed his right forearm, leaving red marks. The juvenile victim showed the deputy these marks. Two marks on his arms had surrounding bruising, but he was not sure if those were caused by being grabbed, the report said.
A video he took on his phone did not hold much evidentiary value, as it only showed Schultz driving his golf cart parallel with the juvenile victim. He repeatedly told Schultz, “Don’t touch me.” He responded with, “I won’t touch you again.” The juvenile victim added that Schultz threatened to “put a bullet through” him and his friends next time, the report said.
The deputy subsequently responded to Schultz’s residence on Rolling Plains Circle to speak with him about the incident. He stated there were children on scooters and electric bikes who were running stop signs, traveling on the wrong side of the road and driving on sidewalks throughout the neighborhood, the report said.
He stopped the juvenile victim and told him to slow down and follow traffic laws. The juvenile victim then cursed at him and began recording him. Schultz responded with profanity, to which the kids threatened him and his home, the report said.
Schultz told them that if anything happened to his house, such as a brick through his windshield or his house being egged, he would “find” them and “put a bullet” in their legs, the report said. He continued, “I won’t kill you, but I’ll hurt you,” and clarified this was “a promise, not a threat.”
When asked about the video of him swerving the golf cart at the juvenile victim, he claimed the juvenile victim was “coming at” him from the sidewalk. He admitted that he touched the juvenile victim and explained that he was being threatened, the report said.
Schultz was ultimately arrested on charges of aggravated assault without intent to kill and simple battery. The New Jersey native was booked at Lake County Jail and released after posting $6,000 bond.