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Brazil woman charged in recent road rage incident
A Brazil woman has been formally charged on counts of battery and encouraging violent behavior following a recent road rage incident on Manhattan Road.
According to a report filed by Cpl. Scott Ducker, law enforcement received a call the evening of Friday, Oct. 22 for a two-vehicle accident at the intersection with County Road 550 South. It was advised that the individuals involved had been fighting.
After he arrived on the scene, Ducker saw that one of the motorists, Megan Braun, 21, Greencastle, had significant bleeding from her head. Braun advised him that she had been hit with a small bat by someone in the other vehicle. A passenger was also with her.
Braun’s passenger told Ducker they had initially been driving on a gravel road at a slower speed due to it being wet. Meanwhile, the other vehicle, driven by Christina Parker, 37, Brazil, was tailgating them.
Braun pulled over to let Parker pass, after which Parker stopped, got out of her vehicle and brandished the bat and yelled at them. Braun then drove around Parker, who reportedly swung the bat as they went by.
Parker tailgated Braun’s vehicle until they reached the intersection and collided. Parker and two minors, as well as Braun, then exited their vehicles. The three then fought with Braun, in which one of the minors struck her with the bat. The altercation was stopped as Braun’s passenger was recording it.
For her part, Parker told Ducker that Braun’s passenger had flipped off and screamed at her and the two minors, which Braun corroborated. She said this made her angry because of the minors accompanying her. She also stated that she intended to strike Braun’s vehicle with the bat.
Parker advised that Braun backed into her vehicle after she threw a small, partially-filled Pepsi bottle, though Braun stated she intended to park it and this was accidental. The altercation then ensued, with Braun later stating that Parker “called off” the minors after she was hit with the bat.
Braun was transported to Putnam County Hospital by Putnam County EMS for her injuries. The bat, which appeared to be cracked, was discovered in the field immediately south of the scene, in which one of the minors said it “slipped out of his hands.”
Parker was arrested and remanded to the Putnam County Jail. One of the minors was taken into custody and transported to a juvenile correctional facility, while the other was released to a relative.
Sheriff’s deputies Daniel Birt and Tanner Brown, as well as Col. Matt Demmings and Cpl. Brian Helmer, assisted Ducker at the scene.
Parker was charged in Putnam Circuit Court with Class A misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury and Level 5 felony contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Braun also requested a no-contact order against Parker and the minors.