Driver guilty of road-rage assault

NORRISTOWN >> A jury has convicted a Limerick man of assaulting another man, who suffered a broken jaw, during a road rage incident in the township.

Anthony C. Lauer, 48, of the first block of Country Club Road, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of misdemeanor charges of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct in connection with an October 2017 traffic incident in the township.

The jury acquitted Lauer of a more serious felony charge of aggravated assault, causing serious bodily injury, which could have carried up to a 10-to-20year prison term.

Judge William R. Carpenter, who presided over the three-day trial, deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background report about Lauer.

Lauer, who remains free on bail pending sentencing, faces a possible maximum sentence of 2½ to five years in prison on the charges. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.

The case was prosecuted by As-

sistant District Attorney Lauren Alessi.

An investigation began about 10 p.m. Oct. 18, 2017, when Limerick police responded to the intersection of North Lewis and Country Club roads for a report of a disturbance involving two males whose vehicles were stopped at the intersection. When police approached the men they determined one man was “having difficulty speaking and had blood coming out his mouth,” according to the criminal complaint filed by Limerick Police Officer Sergio Rodriguez.

The victim, who had been operating a Kia sedan, told police Lauer, the driver of a Hyundai SUV, blocked his path, got of out his car and after a brief argument assaulted him, according to the criminal complaint.

“(The victim’s) jaw appeared seriously injured, his bottom left teeth were hanging loosely and had been split from the rest of his mandible,” Rodriguez alleged, adding emergency responders concluded the victim suffered a broken jaw and he was transported to a trauma center for treatment.

The victim claimed an argument developed between the two men when Lauer used his vehicle to block his path at the intersection, according to court papers.

Lauer, according to the criminal complaint, told police that he got angry at the victim while driving behind him so he decided to drive around him and block his path at the intersection with his SUV “so he could confront him.”

At trial, and in his initial statements to police, Lauer maintained the victim assaulted him first and that he then returned a punch.

“The whole defense strategy was self-defense,” explained defense lawyer Scott McIntosh. “Both sides agree that this was a road rage case.”

The victim denied punching Lauer.

McIntosh said Lauer was pleased the jury rejected the aggravated assault charge, convicting him instead of a lesser simple assault charge. McIntosh said he will seek a probationary sentence for Lauer at time of sentencing.

Court papers indicate there were witnesses to the altercation who corroborated the victim’s account of the incident.