A Mattawan man is being held in the Van Buren County Jail on $1 million bond after police say he attacked his neighbor.
The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department says a 79-year-old man was cutting wood on his property in the 35 thousand block of County Road 652 in Almena Township around 7:30 p.m. Friday when he was approached by his 58-year-old neighbor.
The 58-year-old punched the 79-year-old in the head and face, according to the victim. The victim was knocked down and tried to crawl away from the suspect, but the attacked just continued. The 58-year-old said he was going to kill the victim and his family. The victim eventually lost consciousness and the suspect left him in the woods.
The suspect later told police he has a longstanding dislike for his neighbor, and he was upset the neighbor was cutting wood near his property. The sheriff’s department says the suspect told interviewing deputies he did want to kill his neighbor, and would do so upon being released.
He’s now in the jail and charged with felony assault. The victim was treated at a hospital.
