A Newberry man wound up in jail late Sunday, accused of smashing a 2x4 to pieces on a street in Newberry. He was reported to have been upset about the noise of another Newberry resident doing “burnouts” in a vehicle.

Eric Joseph Townsend, 34, of Newberry, was arrested on Sunday night, July 14, by Indiana State Police Trooper Nick Bartalone.

Trooper Bartalone and ISP Trooper Cory Knight were responding to a report of reckless driving in the area of 5th and Mulberry streets in Newberry when they were advised by Greene County Dispatch of a fight in progress in the same area. The fight was believed to be related to the complaint of reckless driving. In addition, the troopers were told that weapons were involved, specifically a 2x4 board, a crowbar and a firearm.

When the troopers arrived in Newberry shortly after 9 p.m., two men were standing in the middle of the intersection and a man and a woman were in the front yard of a nearby residence.

When they talked to the two men, they explained the man standing in front of the residence had been doing burnouts on Mulberry Street for some time and another man had confronted him.

The man accused of doing the burnouts was John Oharah, who was allegedly confronted about it by Eric Townsend.

Bartalone reported that Oharah admitted he had been doing burnouts in the street to show off and entertain kids and that there were no ordinances against doing burnouts in the street and he hadn’t done anything wrong. But he also said Townsend had confronted him, threatened him, picked up a 2x4 out of Oharah’s yard and slammed it down on the street, breaking it into pieces. Oharah said he picked up a crowbar to defend himself but Townsend then got into a truck and left.

Bartalone reported that when they talked to Townsend, he admitted he went to confront Oharah about his driving that had woke up neighbors and children. He said he was tired of the noise. Townsend allegedly admitted he picked up the 2x4 and smashed it in the roadway then left when Oharah picked up a crowbar.

Townsend was taken into custody and transported to jail where he was initially booked in on felony intimidation with bond set at $10,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

Now that the case has been filed in court, Townsend is facing a misdemeanor instead of a felony, with bond set at $1,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed.

Townsend posted $100 cash and was released from jail.

He is scheduled to appear in court for an initial hearing on July 29 to be charged with initimidation, a Class A misdemeanor.