Centerville man charged with assault for allegedly hitting a woman with his car

A Centerville man was charged with first-degree assault on Friday for allegedly intentionally striking a woman with his car.

According to the criminal complaint, John Thomas Babcook started the altercation by cutting off a 23-year-old driver. The woman and her passenger threw a chapstick tube and a plastic knob shifter at Babcook's car, officials said.

In response, Babcook, 21, allegedly rammed into the woman's car, causing the woman to pull into the nearby Hill Murray High School parking lot, where she pleaded with bystanders to call 911, police said.

The woman tried to flee from her car, but Babcook jumped a curb, went through the grass, and sped straight toward the woman at full-speed, witnesses said. He struck the woman from behind, causing the victim to flip over his car before landing unconscious on the pavement, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said witnesses reported that Babcook intentionally hit the woman. One bystander told police, "He ran her down like an animal," the complaint said.

Babcook turned himself in at the Washington County Jail shortly after the incident.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was treated at Region's Hospital for spinal fractures and a head injury.