Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Date Incident: 7 October 2016

Subject: Assault with a Deadly Weapon
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7 October 16, at approx. 7:39 PM, emergency personnel responded to the 1100 block of Mill Villa Court, for a reported assault victim needing medical attention. When Officers arrived, they discovered Benjamin Barnow, who is a 52 year old transient, had sustained major head trauma following an assault by three unknown male subjects.

Barnow related he was struck in the head with a stick or possibly a baseball bat while looking for recyclables in a receptacle inside the Tuolumne County Fairgrounds. Barnow didn’t know his attackers; nor was he able to provide a description of them, besides being white males between 20 and 30 years of age.

Barnow was airlifted to a Modesto hospital because of the nature of his injuries. As this incident allegedly occurred on State property, the Sonora Police Department will be working with the California Highway Patrol to conducted further investigation into the matter.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call either the Sonora Police Department at 209-532-8141, or the Jamestown Office of the California Highway Patrol at 209-984-3944.