An 81-year-old villager was apprehended for allegedly assaulting a woman at a country club.
Gene Richard Benton of the Village of Bridgeport at Laurel Valley was arrested on Saturday night at Palmer Legends on a felony charge of violence on a person over the age of 65, according to a Sumter County Sheriff’s Office report.
Benton “got mad while they were exiting the restaurant and smacked her in the face,” according to the report. She tumbled to the ground, sustaining a wound on her neck. She claimed she had lost her balance and did not want to see Benton detained. She signed a waiver of prosecution.
However, two independent witnesses informed deputies that they witnessed Benton “punch” the woman and cause her to fall to the ground. The report did not specify the nature of Benton’s relationship with the 79-year-old woman.
Benton was taken into custody and placed into the Sumter County Detention Center. The Newbern, North Carolina native was released after posting a $1,500 bond.
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