A 46-year-old Fayette County man accused of firing a handgun at another man on two separate occasions was arraigned Wednesday in Washington C.H. Municipal Court on a charge of second-degree felonious assault.
Based upon an investigation by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), David W. Everhart was arrested at his home without incident Tuesday evening with assistance from tactical teams from the Ross County Sheriff’s Office, Chillicothe Police Department and US Marshal’s Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team.
The first incident occurred Sunday, when the alleged victim reported to the FCSO that a shooting occurred on Stafford Road in Green Township. The alleged victim said that a known man, identified as Everhart, fired a handgun into his vehicle while he was driving by Everhart’s residence.
When deputies arrived at the scene to investigate, the alleged victim had departed the area, according to Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth. However, deputies did observe damage on the alleged victim’s vehicle.
Then on Tuesday, the FCSO received several reports of a two-vehicle accident in the 10000 block of Washington-New Martinsburg Road, just south of the Village of New Martinsburg. One of the individuals who reported the accident was the same alleged victim from Sunday’s incident.
The man told deputies that the accident was the result of him being chased by Everhart and that after the crash, Everhart again fired shots at him from a handgun, according to Stanforth. The alleged victim said he fled to a nearby residence where he remained until deputies arrived. Everhart had reportedly departed the area by the time deputies arrived.
The motive behind the two alleged incidents is still under investigation by the FCSO.
Due to reports that Everhart was allegedly armed and dangerous, the FCSO requested tactical teams to assist in order to create a perimeter around Everhart’s residence and arrest him. A search warrant was also executed and authorities located Everhart’s vehicle, which matched the vehicle description provided by the alleged victim and other witnesses, according to Stanforth.
The vehicle was also found to have sustained damaged consistent with the earlier crash, Stanforth said.
Everhart was taken to the Fayette County Jail, but later bonded out. At his court appearance Wednesday, his bond was increased from $25,000 to $100,000 by Judge Victor Pontious.
Everhart was taken into custody and returned to the county jail.
