4 arrested after ‘alcohol-fueled melee’ breaks out on beach at Ga. state park

WSBTV.com News Staff
·1 min read
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Four people were arrested after what deputies called an “alcohol-fueled melee” broke out at a Georgia state park over the weekend, according to the Morgan County Citizen.

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The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office reports that the fight broke out at Hard Labor Creek State Park on Lake Rutledge around 4 p.m. July 8, the Citizen reported.

Deputies said an off-duty deputy called to report a “chaotic scene” at the park after reports that a man had a knife.

When deputies arrived, one man was punching a metal box attached to a tree. Deputies identified that man as Michael Joseph Dickerson, 36.

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Deputies said officers pulled a stun gun on Dickerson, who then shoved the deputy. The deputy fired his stun gun at least three times before Dickerson was taken into custody.

Witnesses told deputies that Christian Darlene Johnson, 37, and her son Michael Lee Johnson, 19, Douglas Steven Meyers, 54 and Dickerson got into a fight in front of hundreds of park visitors at the beach. Deputies said they believe alcohol, which is not allowed on the beach, was a factor in the incident.

All four were arrested.

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Deputies said they couldn’t determine what the group was fighting about, but one of the suspects accused another of swinging a knife.

Johnson had what deputies called “several violent outbursts” in the patrol of the vehicle in which she screamed, kicked and cursed. She was charged with disorderly conduct and simple battery. Johnson, Meyers and Dickerson were all charged with disorderly conduct.