Assault Investigation Leads To An Arrest Of Armed Man

An investigation into an aggravated assault in Bartow County last weekend led to deputies arresting an armed man in the woods nearby.

Bartow County deputies went to a residence on Pickys Hollow north of Acworth on Friday night about a fight in progress. They reportedly found a woman with scratches all over her upper body and the back of her head cut open. The woman stated that while on the front porch, someone came from behind and started hitting her before she stumbled into the living room. The homeowner said she didn’t see the attack but saw the woman lying on the living room floor, seizing.

Deputies walked on a trail through the woods behind the residence to attempt to locate the subjects involved in the altercation. They reportedly located 49-year-old Daniel Joseph Benson hiding behind a tree, holding a machete in his right hand. When deputies commanded him to walk over to them, Benson allegedly retrieved a handgun. He purportedly shouted “shoot me” several times but eventually dropped the gun upon more commands. Benson then reportedly got out of the woods and began cutting himself on his neck with the machete before putting it on the ground and allowing deputies to arrest him. During a post-arrest search, Benson allegedly had a large amount of methamphetamine inside one of his shoes.

Daniel Benson received charges for two counts of obstructing law enforcement officers, two counts of possession of weapons during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He also had one warrant from December 1st, 2020, for violation of probation and warrants from December 28th, 2021, for obstructing a law enforcement officer and possession of methamphetamine. The incident report did not positively identify him as the subject who assaulted the woman on Pickys Hollow.