A chaotic scene unfolded on Saturday at the Old Hardin Bridge Landing on the other side of the Etowah River from Sugar Valley Road, involving multiple victims in a potential drowning and an alleged assault.
Bartow County deputies received reports at 9:40 PM of an assault in progress, with dispatch noting that several people had been injured and one individual had reportedly been run over by a vehicle. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies found a gray Nissan Rogue blocking the entrance while discovering a female victim on the ground in distress.
Witnesses reported that the female, appearing incoherent and wet, indicated there were additional victims nearby. Officers soon located another victim, 44-year-old James Ervin Millhollan from Cedartown, who claimed he had been assaulted by two individuals and subsequently run over by a vehicle. James described a chaotic altercation by the river where he had been kayaking with his children and the female’s daughter.
According to James, the confrontation began when the female allegedly attacked him for an unknown reason, followed by another woman also trying to intervene. He stated that during the scuffle, he was struck by a car driven by a man, who later turned himself in to the authorities.
The man explained he had come to pick up the first woman after she called for help, claiming everyone was “drunk.” After attempting to intervene, he said he felt threatened and drove away, inadvertently hitting James before leaving the scene. Emergency services arrived shortly thereafter to treat all three victims at the scene.
The first woman said she was at the site with her children and James Millhollan, the children’s father. According to reports, tensions began when she expressed her desire to leave the gathering and was frustrated by Millhollan’s interactions with unknown females at the scene.
A heated argument reportedly ensued, leading to physical altercations. The woman claimed that James attempted to drown her during the struggle and also physically assaulted her mother.
Amid the chaos, the woman managed to contact her stepfather for assistance and witnessed James attacking him as well.
After observing injuries, deputies determined that James was the primary aggressor in the series of events, and all parties involved expressed a desire to press charges. James Millhollan was taken into custody but was first transported to Piedmont Cartersville Hospital for medical evaluation due to injuries sustained during the incident. He faces two charges of aggravated assault and one charge of battery and has since been released on a $12,000 bond.