A Chalfont man is facing a trio of misdemeanor charges after he allegedly accelerated his vehicle towards a park ranger, only to swerve at the last second.
John Ott, 80, has been charged with reckless endangerment, simple assault and disorderly conduct, in connection with the incident.
According to the criminal complaint, a park ranger was on patrol at 2:23 p.m. on April 8 when he received a distressed radio call from another ranger on bicycle patrol, who stated that he was almost run over while on patrol in the area of Sailor’s Point at Peace Valley Park.
The ranger stated that he was stopped and talking on the roadside to a female civilian when Ott drove up to them and began yelling obscenities, the report states. Ott then put his vehicle into gear and accelerated towards them, aggressively approaching to within a few feet before swerving around them and fleeing north, according to the complaint.
Both the ranger and the civilian had to jump out of the way, the report states.
Approximately 20 minutes later, rangers located Ott’s unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot of the Peace Valley Nature Center, the report states. Rangers then walked a nearby trail and located Ott at the foot bridge, at which point he was taken into custody, the report states.
The complaint states that prior to the incident, Ott was known to park rangers. However, it does not explain those circumstances, and he has no criminal history in Bucks County.
Charges against Ott were filed by summons, meaning he has not been arraigned and no booking image is available. Court records indicate Ott’s first court appearance is a preliminary hearing at 2:15 on June 1 in front of Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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