Times staff
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Dane V. Carleton, 22, was arrested Aug. 17 for battery and grand theft in the March 19 incident.
NEW PORT RICHEY — Dane V. Carleton, a passenger in a friend's car, decided to beat the driver in the head with a tire iron — while the car was still moving, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.
The incident happened about 7 p.m. March 19 on Trouble Creek Road. A witness saw the silver sedan swerving with two men fighting in the front seat, the Sheriff's Office said. The victim — who was then 20 and driving his mother's car — told authorities the fight was about Carleton hitting his own girlfriend. The victim stopped the car and was able to escape, with Carleton speeding off, the Sheriff's Office said.
Carleton, 22, was arrested Aug. 17 in Pinellas County on Pasco warrants for aggravated battery and grand theft. He was transferred to the Pasco County Jail on Tuesday.
In April, Carleton was accused of stabbing a man several times in the chest during an argument about money in Clearwater. Last year, he was accused of faking his own kidnapping in Tarpon Springs and trying to get his own father to pay $2,000 in ransom.
Carleton of 1846 Oak Park Drive in Largo is being held in lieu of $40,000 bail.