Man arrested for allegedly cracking another man’s skull with a hammer
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IDAHO FALLS — A man has been arrested for allegedly cracking another man’s skull with a hammer.
George Martindale, 47, was arrested Thursday for allegedly hitting a man over the head with a hammer during a fight in June. He is facing one charge of felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The fight revolved around George Martindale’s daughter, her boyfriend, and a friend, who is the victim in the case.
Court documents show Martindale’s daughter and her boyfriend were aggressively arguing at a home when Martindale arrived with his son. Documents show they began yelling and “going after” the boyfriend.
The victim was able to get between the boyfriend and Martindale’s son. The son allegedly tried to attack the victim, but the victim was able to put the son in a headlock and told him to calm down. That is when the victim “got dizzy all of (a) sudden.”
Martindale’s daughter later told investigators that while the victim held his son in a headlock, George Martindale came up and hit the victim in the head with a hammer, fracturing the victim’s skull. The daughter said she went over to try and pull the victim off her brother, and Martindale swung the hammer again, accidentally hitting his own daughter in the ribs.
Martindale and his son left the home, and the daughter said she noticed she had blood all over her from the victim’s head, according to court documents.
Police were unable to contact Martindale at his home. He was finally taken into custody Thursday, after an arrest warrant was issued in October.
Martindale was released to pretrial services that same day. He is facing a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 27 for a preliminary hearing.