A local business owner returned to work the next day after being brutally beaten by a man he untangled from a fence on Madison Street late Saturday night.
And the victim’s family is extremely grateful to the fast work by the Yazoo City Police Department in their arrest of the suspect only half an hour after the assault.
Dennis Vandevere, owner of Big D’s Wrecker Service, was left with broken ribs, a major head injury that required stitches and numerous bruises after a rainy night wrecker call turned violent on West Madison Street last Saturday around 11 p.m.
Kenneth Carter has been charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest.
Missye Vandevere said the community has been very supportive in their outreach of prayers. She said the prayers are working with Dennis slowly recovering from the weekend attack.
“Anyone who says prayer does not work, you’re wrong,” she said. “Dennis seems to be conquering this. He is going to be fine, but he is moving slow.”
Dennis responded to a call on West Madison Street late Saturday night after a man reported his Ford Mustang crashed into a cyclone fence.
“Dennis was able to untangle him and even helped him reattach the bumper,” Missye said.
The driver told Dennis he was unable to pay his $65 fee, but Dennis said he would take his driver’s license back to his garage a couple of blocks away where he could pay the fee and have his license returned.
“The man then took a metal pipe off of Dennis’ wrecker and started to beat him with it, threatening to kill him,” Missye said. “He knocked him in the head, knocking his glasses off. He threw Dennis’ phone away and then took the wrecker keys. Dennis thought he was going to steal the wrecker, but he then got back in his Mustang and drove off.”
Dennis, heavily bleeding, then approached a nearby house where he received assistance from the resident in finding his glasses and cell phone. Missye said the police department was then contacted about the attack.
“The (officer) was extremely helpful and told us he would stay out all night to find the suspect,” Missye said.
Carter was soon found in the parking lot of Yazoo Doughnuts on Broadway by police officers. With no identification on him and unwilling to tell his name, Carter was first listed in the jail docket as “John Doe.”
“Before we even got Dennis to the hospital, the owner of the Mustang was calling us wanting to know what to do to get her car back,” Missye said. “When I mentioned the responsibility of Dennis’ hospital bill, which totals about $8,000 now, she claimed the car had been stolen.”
Missye said the 2017 Mustang had the keys inside it with about 5,000 miles on it.
“(Carter’s) driver’s license was found in the car, and Dennis’ key latch was inside with no key,” Missye said. “The stories weren’t adding up.”
“John Doe” was later identified as Carter.
Dennis was later taken by ambulance to a Jackson hospital, where he received 11 stitches. He also had four broken ribs, a damaged diaphragm and multiple bruises on his body.
“The bar that was used to beat Dennis is a metal bar that it used to catch chains on the wrecker,” Missye said. “It is big and heavy, and it could have killed him The police did a wonderful job, catching the man within 30 minutes. The detectives thoroughly checked everything.”
Missye said that despite Dennis’ severe injuries, he was back on the job the following day.
