A Verde Village man faces two counts of attempted murder following an incident stopped by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The deputies were dispatched to a family fight occurring in the 1700 block of S Carpenter Lane, in the Verde Villages around 6:30 p.m., Sunday, March 10, to a call of a woman who had been punched while being dragged around the front yard of a home.
When the first deputy arrived, he was flagged down by a boy pointing to a house on Carpenter Lane.
Walking down the driveway, the deputy reportedly saw a man, later identified as 49-year-old John David Scrivner, standing behind a woman, age 50, while holding a large solid metal bar across her chest.
Scrivner was reportedly lifting the victim off the ground using the bar and she was screaming for help.
The deputy ordered Scrivner to let the victim go. Scrivner reportedly ignored the deputy’s command as bar rose towards her neck. At this point, the deputy wrapped his arms around Scrivner’s upper body to prevent Scrivner from moving his arms as the deputy attempted to pull the suspect away from the victim.
As the deputy began gaining control, Scrivner reportedly still refused to release his grip on the victim while the bar remained pinned across her upper body.
A second deputy arrived and both deputies used force to stop Scrivner’s attack and take him into custody.
One deputy sustained minor injuries.
During the ambulance ride and while at the hospital, Scrivner reportedly fought with medical personnel and spit at them on several occasions. A spit mask was placed over his head as he reportedly continued to resist before being brought under control.
Prior to the arrival of deputies, the suspect had allegedly attacked his 59-year-old girlfriend in the driveway.
He allegedly choked her around the neck with his hands and allegedly told her he was going to kill her. He allegedly punched her in the face several times and drug her around by her hair. She eventually broke free and ran to a neighbor’s house and called for help.
While this was going on, a neighbor across the street reportedly heard some commotion and went next door to check on the activity.
As she walked up the driveway while calling 911, the suspect allegedly came up from behind her with the metal breaker bar, began to drag her up the driveway and pick her up with the bar around her chest.
She later told deputies the suspect allegedly kept trying to put the bar around her neck, but she was fighting with him and was able to keep the bar from rising.
She reportedly mentioned thinking she was going to die. She told deputies that while she was being attacked, her 10-year-old son reportedly came outside and saw what was going on. He reportedly picked up rocks and threw them at the suspect trying to stop his attack.
The reason for this attack was unclear at the time of this release, according to YCSO.
Scrivner was treated at a local hospital and eventually booked into the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde for two counts of attempted murder, two couns of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
Scrivner remains in custody on a $150,000 bond.
