The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News.
TAVARES, Florida — A 73-year-old man accused of chasing a man down and hitting him in the face with a tire iron earlier this month was picked up on a warrant for the crime Tuesday night, according to the arrest affidavit.
On April 2, James Edward Rogers, of Lady Lake, was helping a woman retrieve her belongings from a home on Tracy Lane in unincorporated Tavares, according to a probable cause affidavit. The victim came to the home to ensure his belongings were not being taken and a fight broke out between him and Rogers.
Rogers armed himself with a four-way tire iron and raised it in the direction of the victim, who punched Rogers in the face in self-defense, the affidavit states. Rogers chased the victim and struck him in the face with the tire iron and caused multiple lacerations to his face and head. Video surveillance confirmed the victim’s account of the incident.
The victim and a witness subdued Rogers; he is alleged to have pulled a handgun from his pocket, causing the witness to release him. The victim asked an additional witness to call 9-1-1 and Rogers left the area. A Lake County Sheriff’s deputy responded and requested a BOLO (be on the lookout) for Rogers’ vehicle and he was later located by a Sumter County Sheriff’s deputy. Rogers was armed with a gun similar to the gun described in the incident, but he was not arrested at that time, according to the affidavit. Rogers was arrested on a warrant for the crime Tuesday and was released from LCJ on $15,000 bond Wednesday morning.
The victim was treated at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares for his injuries, and he will have permanent scarring on his face, the detective noted in the affidavit.
