Tuesday, August 24, 2004
By JEAN JONES
Staff Writer
LAWRENCE TWP. -- A dispute in neighboring Cumberland County Sunday proved that just about anything can be used as a weapon.
Cedarville resident Michael File received several small lacerations on his back Sunday as the result of being whipped with a dead six-foot-long blacksnake, state police said.
File, 26, wasn't wearing a shirt when Kenneth Davis, 42, of the 400 block of 8th Street, Vineland, allegedly whipped him on the back with the snake in the yard of his Main Street home. Davis later was assaulted by File with a baseball bat.
State police said they learned that Davis had been attempting to let the snake, which was alive when the incident began, crawl into File's residence. File's father, whose name was not available, saw the snake approaching the front of the residence, stepped on it and beat it to death with a piece of wood.
Police said Davis, who had been drinking, became angry and pushed the elder File. Michael File told Davis to leave the property, whereupon Davis picked up the snake, twirled it over his head and assaulted Michael File with it, police said. The Files then went into the house.
Several minutes later, police said, Davis entered the File house and attempted to assault File's father. Michael File came out of his bedroom, grabbed a baseball bat and hit Davis over the head with it several times.
As Davis was leaving the house, he was met by the Cedarville Rescue Squad, who transported him to South Jersey Healthcare, Bridgeton Hospital, where he was treated for lacerations of the scalp and released.
Davis was charged with simple assault. Investigating troopers David Lawless and Arthur Ferrari were off duty Monday and additional charges are pending, but Sgt. John Cuzzupe, station commander, said FIle's assault on Davis with the baseball bat is not considered aggravated assault because he was coming to the defense of another. Davis' injuries from being flailed with the snake were not severe, Cuzzupe said.
Police do not know why Davis brought the snake to File's house. It was not a pet but was a wild snake found in the area, according to police.
