A handshake ended up turning into a knot on the head for a man at Cowboy Up with his attacker now looking at six years in prison for felony assault.
The suspect, Charles James Cole, 34, is charged with aggravated assault for striking Jeff Morton on the head with a beer bottle. The crime carries three to six years in prison.
The victim told sheriff’s deputy Evan Cooper he was sitting at a table at the Dibrell establishment when he was approached by a bald, white male wearing a plaid shirt.
“He asked Jeff his name and reached out to shake his hand,” the deputy reported, noting it was then the victim said he was hit out of nowhere. “The male struck him in the head with a beer bottle, knocking him to the ground.”
The attack continued while the victim was on the ground. The woman who was with the victim tried to intervene but was thrown to the ground, hurting her leg.
Cooper did not reveal a reason for the sudden attack. However, the deputy pointed out the brawl was caught on the bar’s surveillance cameras and people at the bar identified the aggressor as Charlie Cole.
“Pictures and video were gathered as evidence,” the deputy added, noting felony charges were taken against Cole because a weapon was used and the victim suffered injury, namely a large swollen bruise near his eye.