Point Reyes Light - November 18, 2004
Inverness Park boy injures retired deputy, arrested
By Dave Mitchell
Sheriff’s deputies at 8:02 p.m. Friday arrested a 16-year-old Inverness Park boy on charges of felony battery against a former Sheriff’s Watch Commander, Lt. Russ Hunt, 63, of Point Reyes Station.
The youth, who was been turned over to the Juvenile Probation Department, has confessed to hitting Hunt about 4:50 p.m. last Thursday, Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Anderson, commander of the West Marin Sheriff’s Substation reported.
Hunt retired from the Sheriff’s Department 10 years ago this fall. (Please see photo on Page 22.) The morning after the incident, Hunt experienced pain in his chest and had trouble breathing. Paramedics transported him to Kaiser Hospital in Terra Linda, where doctors diagnosed Hunt as having a bruised heart and admitted him overnight.
The retired sheriff’s lieutenant told The Light the incident occurred on Knob Hill Road (off Viento Way) last Thursday when he tried to slow a car that was recklessly driving back and forth on the narrow road.
"I heard a car laying patches a couple of times," he said, adding it appeared to be going at "a high rate of speed... This guy was whipping. ... I thought intervention was necessary."
Hunt tried to flag down the car, but it didn’t stop, so he slapped the side of the speeding vehicle to get the driver’s attention. The 16-year-old motorist then stopped. Witness Deborah Birmingham of Point Reyes Station, an intern at The Light, described the youth as "very tall."
Hunt said, "I screamed, ‘I have a wife. I have grandchildren. I have pets. There are horses [going in and out of Bar-Or Stables across the street].’" Among the regular horseback riders along the road, Hunt added, are "disabled children."
Quarrel turns violent
"We had some words," Hunt said. "We did some pushing and shoving." At some point, the youth hit Hunt in the chest and pushed him, causing the retired deputy to fall down onto the ground amid some bushes, the retired officer said.
Although as a deputy he had dealt with violent people, "I’m not as young as I used to be," Hunt said. "I finally realized I’m not 25 or 30 anymore." One of Hunt’s arms was scraped and bleeding after the incident.
There were several witnesses to the youth knocking Hunt down, and the victim noted there were also two passengers in the speeding vehicle. Hunt said that when the car had stopped, three people got out, but the two passengers left the scene.
Hunt was unaware the youth had been arrested until The Light told him Monday morning. "I never saw him before," he noted, adding he was glad The Light would not be publishing the boy’s name. The retired officer then explained that he hoped the youth would learn a lesson and not have the crime dogging him in adulthood.