Man charged with assault outside Uniontown KFC
A warrant was issued for a Uniontown man who allegedly beat an SUV driver with a broken bottle, causing him to crash his vehicle.
Matthew Mark Bowlen Jr., 23, told police that the incident was a drug deal gone awry.
Uniontown police Cpl. Michael Bittner interviewed the alleged victim, Adam Fowler, at Uniontown Hospital, where he was transported by ambulance after the alleged attack March 30.
Bittner wrote in the affidavit of probable cause that Fowler had cuts on his face, head and neck and was “covered in blood.”
Fowler told Bittner he drove his friend, Cody Walters, to KFC so he could meet someone to borrow money. He said two or three men got into his back seat and began assaulting him.
Fowler said someone hit him in the head and he hit the gas, striking a pole. Walters got out of the car, and one of the two men chased him, Fowler told police.
Fowler told police he drove through the grass onto Morgantown Street as he was being hit with a broken glass bottle.
“He realized that he was cut and bleeding from the head and decided that the only way to stop the assault was to wreck the vehicle, so he crashed into a telephone pole,” the affidavit said.
Police identified Bowlen and Alex Stutler as the two men in the vehicle. Bittner questioned Stutler, who said he saw the fight but did not get into the vehicle. He showed police a text message he received from Bowlen the next day, which said, “Bro dey said I [expletive] the driver up bad,” the affidavit said.
Bowlen told police he was at KFC to buy Oxycodone from Walters for Stutler. Bowlen said Fowler drove off when he asked for the pills. He told police Stutler and Walters got out of the SUV, but he could not because his door was locked, the affidavit said.
He told police “he was telling the driver to let him out, but he wouldn’t stop,” so he hit the driver with a bottle and caused him to crash. He said Stutler threw a brick through the window to unlock the door and let him out.
Bittner said Bowlen had cuts and possible bite marks on his hand and wrists and a mark on his face.
Bowlen is charged with two counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault and one count of reckless endangerment.
None of the other men who were allegedly involved has been charged.