Man charged for attempting to run down child

WILLMAR -- A 41-year-old Atwater man made his first court appearance Thursday on a felony assault charge for allegedly attempting to run down a 10-year-old child with a pickup.

Brennan James Cave faces a second-degree assault charge, plus a misdemeanor for domestic assault. He was released on his personal recognizance. His next court date is Sept. 21.

According to the complaint, a Kandiyohi County Sheriff's detective began investigating a family services report that Cave had attempted to run down the 10-year-old on Aug. 8 in rural Atwater. The boy was interviewed and said Cave got mad after the boy wouldn't go into the house and chased him with a red Mazda pickup truck. The boy said he hid in some lilac bushes and Cave crashed the pickup into the bushes and almost hit him.

The boy said he ran into the house, that Cave followed him inside and that another family member intervened to calm Cave down.

Cave was also interviewed and essentially confirmed the boy's story. He said he was too big and too old to pursue the child on foot but wasn't going to let the boy get away with his conduct, so he chased him into the lilac bush. He allegedly said his intentions were to scare the boy, but admitted that it was not a smart thing to do.