MITCHELL – A Mitchell man was arrested Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Police arrested 76-year-old Ronald Pridemore, on a charge of battery resulting in bodily injury after an incident on December 21, 2022.
Police arrived at 10:25 a.m. that day in the 1000 block of Hollace after a report of two neighbors fighting.
A woman told Officer Riley Hitchcock she had been injured by her neighbor, Pridemore.
She told police they argued earlier about her dogs leaving her property while Pridemore and his wife were walking on Hollace Chastain Road. She told police she had let the dogs out to use the bathroom but her husky ran out of the yard and across the road to where Pridemore and his wife stopped to talk to a neighbor. When the husky reached them, Pridemore got angry and began yelling at the dog. The woman ran over to get her dog and Pridemore began screaming profanities at her in an aggressive manner.
The woman says Pridemore struck her on the forearm with the nylon strap that was attached to his walking stick, which left a red whelp on her forearm.
It was at that time, she returned home with her dog and contacted the police.
The woman admitted to the police she does not keep her dogs on a leash when they are let outside. Police said the property does not have any type of fence to keep the dogs from leaving the property. The woman did admit the dogs will leave their property if they see someone outside, but the dogs are friendly and not aggressive towards people. The woman told police she didn’t know the Pridemores were outside when she let the dogs out. She stated she should have looked outside to see if anyone was around prior to letting her dogs out. She said her dog did not try to attack Pridemore or his wife nor did she witness the dog touch them.
Pridemore reported to Officer Hitchcock that he and his wife were walking and had stopped to talk to their neighbor. Pridemore said at some point a large dog came toward him and he believed it to be aggressive. Pridemore claimed that when the owner of the dog came to get her dog, she yelled at him and his wife.Â
An officer did notice an aluminum walking stick that had a short nylon strap attached to it.
Pridemore was asked if he had struck the woman with the walking stick or the strap that was attached.
Both Pridemore and his wife denied that the woman was hit with the walking stick or its strap. Pridemore says he and his wife walk every day and they just want to be left alone and not bothered by anyone.
Pridemore did admit there has been an ongoing feud between the two families.
The dog owner stated she wanted to file criminal charges against Pridemore and signed a battery-causing injury affidavit.Â
While speaking to the woman she claimed another neighbor had witnessed the incident.
This neighbor told police they witnessed the dog go into the street but the dog did not attempt to attack Pridemore or his wife. The neighbor said they saw the woman get her dog and they heard Pridemore screaming at the woman. She said Pridemore lunged at the woman while holding the walking stick. She then went outside to check on the woman and asked if Pridemore had hit her and the woman replied yes. The witness then had her husband come outside and the situation did not escalate any further. Neither the neighbor nor her husband saw Pridemore strike the woman.
