Wright County authorities arrested a Mountain Grove man after an alleged hammer attack and property damage incident on the Hartville square Wednesday night.
According to a probable cause statement filed by the Mountain Grove Police Department, officers responded around 8:43 p.m. on February 4 after a pizza delivery driver reported he had been attacked with a hammer. While officers were en route, dispatch also received a report that someone had been struck by a vehicle.
When officers arrived, they contacted 57‑year‑old Morgan Carloss French, who claimed the delivery driver had been following him from Domino’s and had run over his foot. The driver told officers he had simply been making a delivery when French repeatedly confronted him, first on West Third Street and later at the stop sign at West First Street and the south side of the square.
Robertson reported that French exited his SUV holding a hammer and struck the windshield of his vehicle. Officers documented a large impact point and a crack across the windshield. French denied using a hammer, stating he only hit the vehicle with his hand, though officers later located a claw hammer in his SUV during an inventory prior to towing.
French was taken into custody after initially pulling away from officers during handcuffing. He declined medical attention. He was transported to the Wright County Detention Center on a 24‑hour hold pending charges of Assault in the Second Degree and First‑Degree Property Damage.
Police say available video footage of the incident was partially obstructed, and additional footage will be reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.
