Man throws hammer at cell-phone driver

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A Waterloo man has been cited for disorderly conduct, after he allegedly threw a hammer at another driver for chatting away on a cell phone. Dodge County sheriff’s deputies said the incident happened last Thursday in the town of Astico.

According to Sheriff Todd Nehls, the 44-year-old suspect said the pick-up truck in front of him was drifting to the opposite lane while its driver – a 31-year-old Waterloo man – was talking on his phone. So the suspect passed the pick-up truck and then slammed on the brakes.

Once the truck stopped, the other driver reportedly got out, waved his hammer, yelled at the pick-up driver to get off the phone, and threw the hammer at him. The hammer’s owner then retrieved it and drove off.

The victim called 911, and officers soon caught up with both drivers. Nehls said the suspect admitted that the cell chatter was quote, “upsetting him.” The chatter was not cited.

Nehls said it’s better to let law enforcement settle disputes like this because quote, “These types of conflicts can easily go bad.”

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