Men use gardening tools in fight

Two Milton men were arrested by Santa Rosa deputies following a physical dispute Thursday afternoon.

Warner Cartledge was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and Patrick McMullen of Harold, Fla. was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after both allegedly used gardening tools during a confrontation. 

The charges stemmed from a dispute that occurred Thursday at around 4:00 p.m. on Miller Bluff Road in Milton.

According to the report, when deputies arrived on the scene, the complainant directed deputies to Howard Beard Jr. who appeared to have been in an altercation.

According to the report, Beard had several cuts on his right hand, and he had a large bruise on his back. 

A witness stated that he saw Beard at the back door of his residence holding a shovel in his hand, and witnessed two men coming at Beard with gardening instruments.

According to the witness, Cartledge approached Beard with a garden pick in his hand, followed by McMullen who also had a shovel in his hand.

According to the report, words were exchanged between Cartledge and Beard, and the two began swinging the shovels at each other. 

According to the witness statement, Beard dropped the shovel and ran away.  Cartledge and McMullen followed the victim, who later picked up a machete and a hatchet from a nearby barbecue pit.  The suspects were warning Cartledge not to trespass on their property as he ran away down Miller Bluff Road according to the report. 

When interviewed by police, Beard admitted that he had been staying at McMullen’s residence for about a month.  Beard said that he was in McMullen’s front yard, and out of nowhere, the 52 year-old got aggravated and started chasing him with a shovel. 

Beard stated that McMullen swung the shovel at him, and he put his hands up to block the shovel from hitting his face.

Howard later admitted he grabbed the machete for self-defense, and that McMullen later hit him in the back of the head with the shovel. The victim later stated he wanted to press charges against McMullen. 

Police noticed that the victim’s eyes were pinpoint in size, a sign that the subject may have been under the influence of a substance.  Beard later admitted that he had taken Xanax earlier in the day.

When deputies made contact with McMullen, he stated that Beard had mistreated his son, and he later confronted Beard about it.  McMullen denied hitting Beard with anything, but said he did chase him with a shovel. 

Both McMullen and Cartledge admitted to having consumed alcohol and taken Xanax earlier in the day. 

Cartledge told police that McMullen and Beard had gotten into an argument and Beard had hit McMullen with a pipe, which was never found near the scene of the incident.

Cartledge denied chasing Beard, and could not tell deputies where the pipe was. 

A shovel and a garden pick were later found in the woods near the incident.

McMullen was released from Santa Rosa County Jail after posting $9,000 bond, and Cartledge after posting $5,000 bond.