Alleged Drunk Driver Tried To Run Man Over With Truck

CARTERSVILLE, GA — A Cartersville man is accused of using a truck in an attempt to run over a resident in his driveway. Joseph Thomas Bachman was arrested and charged with one count each of aggravated assault, open container in a vehicle and driving under the influence, according to an incident report released by the Bartow County Sheriff's Office.

A deputy was dispatched around 11:41 p.m. March 31 to a home on Kingston Highway in reference to a fight. He arrived and met with a resident, who said a red pickup truck pulled into his driveway and went behind his property.

The resident said he approached the driver, later identified as Bachman, to ask what he was doing. The truck, a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado, whipped around and "took off at a high rate of speed," according to the incident report.

The truck pulled into a neighbor's driveway and allegedly did the same thing. When he began yelling at the driver to get his attention, the resident said Bachman proceeded to drive back onto his property where he "tried several times to run him over with this truck before getting it stuck in the ditch," the report adds.

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Another witness on the scene said he walked outside and saw Bachman try to run the victim down with the Chevrolet. Another neighbor added he heard commotion while he was inside his home and also came outside to see Bachman behind the wheel of the truck allegedly gunning for the victim.

The deputy spoke with Bachman, who was emitting an odor of alcohol from his breath and unstable on his feet. Bachman denied driving the truck, adding he was with a friend who was behind the wheel of the vehicle. An open can of beer was found in the truck, and a field sobriety test conducted by a deputy on Bachman determined him to be under the influence of alcohol.

Bachman was booked into the Bartow County Jail at 1:02 a.m. April 1 on a $6,400 bond. As of early Tuesday afternoon, records show he remains at the facility.

Photo: Joseph Thomas Bachman. Credit: Bartow County Jail