A road rage incident on State Route 125 in Monroe Township escalated to gunfire, leading to the arrest of a Pierce Township man. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office reported the incident occurred at about 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, when the victim, Charlie Pickelheimer, 33, claimed to have been shot at by the driver of an SUV while driving eastbound. In a statement obtained by the Clermont County Sheriff's Office, Pickelheimer recounted being tailgated and responding with a "brake-check" before the other vehicle's driver discharged a firearm into the bed of his pickup truck.
Deputies responded to the 911 call and noted a single projectile strike on the driver's side of Pickelheimer's truck. Although unharmed, the victim provided a detailed description of the silver Nissan Murano and the suspect, leading to the vehicle's identification via surveillance footage from the surrounding area.
Law enforcement tracked down the vehicle to a Maple Avenue address in Pierce Township. Early yesterday, deputies stopped the SUV at 1:59 a.m. The occupant, Joshua Washington, age 33, was taken into custody. Washington matched the description provided by Pickelheimer and was located driving the 2005 silver Nissan Murano mentioned in the road rage report.
While Washington denied the presence of a firearm in his vehicle and chose not to answer further questions, a search warrant executed on the car and residence led to the recovery of a gun. It is believed to be the same weapon used in the shooting incident. According to the investigation details provided by the Clermont County Sheriff's Office, no additional victims were identified throughout their inquiry.
