Investigations into assault lead to the arrest of an armed man

While investigating an aggravated assault in Bartow County last weekend, officers arrested an armed man in a nearby forest.

Bartow County officials responded to a home in Pickys Hollow, north of Acworth, where a fight had broken out Friday night. They reportedly found a woman with scratches all over her upper body and a cut on the back of her head. The woman said someone approached her from behind while she was standing on the porch and began punching her before she stumbled into the living room. The homeowner said she did not see the attack, but said the woman was lying on the living room floor having a seizure.

Officers followed a trail through the woods behind the residence to locate the individuals involved in the altercation. They reportedly found 49-year-old Daniel Joseph Benson hiding behind a tree and holding a machete in his right hand. When officers told him to come over to them, Benson allegedly produced a handgun. He reportedly yelled “shoot me” several times, but eventually dropped the weapon upon further commands. Benson then reportedly came out of the woods and began cutting his neck with the machete before placing it on the ground and allowing officers to arrest him. During a post-arrest search, Benson allegedly found a large amount of methamphetamine in one of his shoes.

Daniel Benson was charged with two counts of obstructing a police officer, two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He also had an arrest warrant dated December 1, 2020, for violating probation and warrants dated December 28, 2021, for obstructing a police officer and possession of methamphetamine. He was not positively identified in the incident report as the person who attacked the woman in Pickys Hollow.

Radio and television stations