Police: Women attacked in Yellow Springs were in town for a yoga convention

UPDATE @ 4:57 p.m.

Two women who were assaulted by a man in Yellow Springs Wednesday afternoon were in town from Michigan to attend a yoga convention at a hotel in the village.

That's according to the statement of facts on file with Xenia Municipal Court.

The document provides details of the police investigation that led to the arrest of 35-year-old Barry Lawson, who is being held in the Greene County Jail on suspicion of felonious assault.

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Police responded to the 9-1-1 call early Wednesday afternoon from a woman who lives in the 300 block of South High Street. The caller told the dispatcher there were three to four people fighting in front of her house, according to the statement of facts.

The first officer on scene spotted Randy Cardwell, a tow truck driver who helped stop the alleged attack, holding a bat and standing near another male, who was sitting on the sidewalk; there was another male standing nearby and two women, one of whom "appeared to have blood all over her face," according to the statement of facts.

Not knowing who was attacking whom, police told Cardwell to drop the bat and gave further orders to him as well as the other man who was standing nearby, according to the statement of facts.

Meanwhile, the man who was sitting on the sidewalk stood up and charged after the two women, tackling them both at the same time, according to the statement of facts.

Police used a Tazer to subdue and arrest the man, according to the statement of facts.

The victims told police they were renting a nearby house for the week because they were attending a yoga convention at the Mills Park Hotel, according to the statement of facts.

The initial attack happened when one of the women decided to walk back to the house after lunch at the convention, according to the statement of facts.

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This news organization tracked down and interviewed Cardwell, a driver for Hollis Towing, who said he stopped the man from attacking the victim. He said he believes he saved her life, because the attacker “had bad intentions.”

Cardwell said he was parked on the street and saw a man emerge from a house carrying a baseball bat. The man walked about 40 feet away, concealed the bat behind his back and stood there as if he was waiting on someone.

"I look in my mirror and I see this lady walking up, and the guy comes across the street, says something to her, pulls the ball bat from behind his back and she starts to take off," Cardwell said.

Cardwell said at that point he got out of his truck and started running toward the man to stop what was about to happen.

"He hits her with the bat, knocking one of her teeth out, and he grabs hold of her, threw her on the ground and dropped his bat. I grabbed the bat and told him don't move or you're going to get punished," he said.

Cardwell said he doesn’t consider himself a hero, but he fears the worst would have happened if he hadn’t been there.

"If I hadn't stepped in, that lady might be dead today,” he said. “I mean his intentions were bad. So, if I didn't do it, there was nobody else there to help."

The victim’s account mirrors Cardwell’s version of events.

The victim further reported to police that the tires on their vehicle had been punctured and flattened on Monday and Tuesday prior to the attack, according to the statement of facts.

It’s not known whether the tire slashings were related to the attack that happened Wednesday.

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FIRST REPORT

Residents in Yellow Springs intervened when a man allegedly used a baseball bat on one of two women who were victims of an attack in the village early Wednesday afternoon, according to Yellow Springs Police Chief Brian Carlson.

Police got a call around 12:50 p.m. that a woman was being assaulted in the 300 block of South High Street, Carlson said.

Officers responded and found a group of four to five people fighting in the street; one male ran after and tackled a woman and officers pulled him off of her and arrested him, Carlson said.

The suspect's identity has not been released.

Prior to police getting the 9-1-1 call, witnesses reported that the same man used a baseball bat and a screwdriver in an attack on another woman, according to police.

“Witnesses to the incident were able to intercede and stop the male from causing further harm to the first victim,” Carlson said.

Both victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening.

The suspect was booked into the Greene County Jail pending formal criminal charges.

This news organization is working to learn the suspect’s identity and gather more information about what happened.

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