Inset: Seth Schlueter (Clermont County Sheriff’s Office). Background: A rural lane near where a road rage incident took a violent turn in Ohio (Google Maps).
Authorities in Ohio recently indicted a man for a road rage incident that left a woman and her family in fear inside their own home.
According to Clermont County court records, Seth Schlueter, 30, faced charges on multiple counts. These include one count each of aggravated burglary, burglary, assault, and aggravated menacing. Additionally, he was charged with two counts of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence and three counts of endangering children.
The defendant is alleged to have incited the initial incident on July 11 by stopping his car in the middle of the road on State Route 727 near the Stonelick Park Dam – roughly 35 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
The woman was traveling behind Schlueter at the time and honked her vehicle’s horn as she evaded and navigated around the stopped car, according to the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.
But the man apparently did not like getting honked at.
Just after 5:30 p.m. that day, sheriff’s deputies were called to a house on Lair Road in Wayne Township – a small community largely made up of farm land in Clermont County and one of numerous such townships with the exact same name sprinkled throughout Ohio.
There, witnesses said Schlueter, who they suspected to be “intoxicated,” confronted the woman’s husband on their front porch, according to a press release issued by the sheriff’s office.
Events unfolded in quick succession, authorities alleged.
“Out of fear, the female victim fled behind the residence,” the press release read. “The homeowner attempted to de-escalate the situation before retrieving his wife-female from the rear of the residence.”
All the while, Schlueter had his children with him in his car, according to law enforcement. When the couple went back behind their house to avoid him, the defendant allegedly got his kids out of the car.
Next, Schlueter allegedly entered the victims’ residence “without permission” and “caused property damage,” the sheriff’s office said.
“When the homeowners returned from the rear of their property, they found Schlueter inside the home,” the press release continued. “Schlueter struck the male victim in the face, then gathered his children and fled the scene. The victim was treated on scene by Wayne Township EMS for minor injuries and declined further treatment.”
The defendant was later arrested without incident at a convenience store, police told Cincinnati-based Fox affiliate WXIX.
On Wednesday, most of the charges against the defendant were dismissed, according to court records. Now, prosecutors appear to be focused on pursuing only the aggravated burglary charge.
Schlueter is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 1 to face the remaining charge, sheriff’s office records show. He is currently being detained in the Clermont County Jail on $200,000 bond.
