CARLISLE, Pa. — Police in Cumberland County have charged a Michigan man with assaulting an employee at a truck stop in Carlisle early Sunday morning.
Michael Earls, 39, of Crystal, MI, is facing multiple charges including simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct in relation to the alleged incident, which occurred shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday at a truck stop on the 1200 block of Harrisburg Pike.
Earls claimed that the victim in the case was the jealous boyfriend of a female employee at the business, and that he instigated the altercation. Earl claimed he struck the victim with a long, metal flashlight/tire thumper he had concealed in his coat, but that he did so in self-defense, according to Middlesex Township Police.
But the woman told police she asked the victim to pretend to be her boyfriend in an effort to get Earls to leave her alone, because his advances were making her uneasy. The victim told police she gave Earls her name, but provided a false phone number and Snapchat profile to him in hopes of getting him to leave.
The victim said he asked Earls to leave the store, and Earls initially complied. But he soon returned and began yelling at the victim, who left the store in an effort to diffuse the situation, according to police.
Earls then followed the victim outside, where the altercation occurred.
The victim sustained a laceration to the bridge of his nose and swelling and bruising to his forehead, according to police. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Other employees at the business confirmed the accounts provided by the victim and the female worker.
Earls was taken into custody and transported to Cumberland County Prison for processing.
