Police Seek Man For Assault
Police are looking for an Oakdale man suspected of brutally assaulting another Oakdale man with a skateboard, leaving the victim with broken bones and severe lacerations to his face.
Police responded to the 200 block of Johnson Avenue on Friday, July 24 around 1:55 a.m. and found a woman screaming while the victim, a 39-year-old man, suffered from a fractured eye socket, a fractured elbow, and a deep gash to his mouth and lip that would later require 22 stitches to suture. According to the victim, his girlfriend’s ex-husband, 41-year-old Daniel Bench, whom she has a restraining order against, ambushed him when he went outside to turn off the sprinklers. Bench smashed a skateboard into the victim’s face, screaming about the victim’s relationship to his ex-wife, then took off running.
The victim was transported to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Bench is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious injury.
Stolen Car Recovered, Men Arrested
A vehicle reported stolen on Calumet Way was found a day later in the 500 block of Shawn Vines Avenue and the men who confessed to stealing it were found with another stolen vehicle at a local mini mart Thursday, July 23.
According to police reports, Aaron Schraw, 21, of Oakdale and Brian Peek, 23, of Modesto were arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana for their connection to the thefts.
Witnesses saw Schraw and Peek going through a gold Toyota that had been reported stolen a day earlier on Calumet Way but stated the key broke off in the ignition and they were waiting for a locksmith around 12:25 a.m. but then they jumped into a Chevy S-10 pickup, that was reported stolen out of Modesto from a Wal-Mart parking lot, and took off. A reserve officer saw the truck parked outside the mini-mart and recognized the description. He questioned the two and they confessed to stealing the vehicles and the items inside the vehicles. Schraw admitted to a methamphetamine habit.
They were both arrested without incident and the vehicles were returned to their registered owners.