An Ohio man was recently indicted for a road rage incident that terrorized a woman and her family in their own home, according to Buckeye State authorities.
According to Clermont County court records, Seth Schlueter, 30, was arrested on a variety of charges, including one count of aggravated burglary, burglary, assault, aggravated menacing, two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and three counts of endangering children.
The defendant is accused of inciting 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, about 35 miles northeast of Cincinnati.
The woman was driving behind Schlueter at the time and honked her horn as she avoided and navigated around the stopped car, according to the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.
However, the man apparently disliked being honked at.
Just after 5:30 p.m. that day, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a house on Lair Road in Wayne Township, a small community primarily made up of farmland in Clermont County and one of many such townships with the same name scattered throughout Ohio.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, witnesses claimed Schlueter, who they suspected was “intoxicated,” confronted the woman’s husband on their front porch.
Authorities claimed that events took place in quick succession.
“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.”
According to police, Schlueter had his children in his car at all times. When the couple went back behind their house to avoid him, the defendant allegedly got his kids out of the car.
Schlueter then allegedly entered the victims’ home “without permission” and “caused property damage,” according to the sheriff’s office.
“When the homeowners returned from the rear of their property, they found Schlueter inside the home,” the press release continued. “Schlueter hit the male victim in the face, gathered his children, and fled the scene. Wayne Township EMS treated the victim on the scene for minor injuries, and he declined further treatment.”
Police told Cincinnati-based Fox affiliate WXIX that the defendant was arrested without incident at a convenience store.
According to court records, the defendant had the majority of his charges dismissed on Wednesday. Prosecutors now appear to be focused solely on pursuing the aggravated burglary charge.
Schlueter is scheduled to appear in court on August 1 to face the remaining charges, according to sheriff’s office records. He is currently detained in the Clermont County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
