Head bash of Door Dash driver puts Lawton man behind bars

Investigators said a Lawton man with methamphetamine in his pocket claimed to mistake a Door Dash delivery for a burglar and bashed him with a stick.

Jared Kristen Harvey, 47, made his initial appearance Tuesday in Comanche County District Court where he was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after former felony convictions and a misdemeanor count of possession of meth, records indicate. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the felony count due to two prior felony convictions.

Lawton Police Sgt. Kolton Jones said he and another officer were called to Comanche County Memorial Hospital around 1 a.m. Saturday to speak with an assault victim.

The injured man said he was dropping off a Door Dash order at 704 NW 35th Place. When he put the food down on the porch and went to take a photo to send to the person who ordered it, he was struck in the back of the head with some sort of blunt object, the probable cause affidavit states.

Fearing for his life, he said, he took off running but tripped in the yard and struck a brick mailbox, causing a 5- to 6-inch gash to the right side of his head, Jones said. The person who ordered the food messaged the driver apologizing for the incident and named Harvey as the suspect.

Police spoke with Harvey and he said he’d been inside the garage when he heard a noise from the front porch. He said he went to investigate and believed someone was trying to break in so he “used his stick that he carries” to hit the man, the affidavit states. Jones stated Harvey provided a roughly 3- to 4-foot branch as the weapon before being taken into custody.

According to the affidavit, a baggie containing 1.3 grams of meth was found in Harvey’s pocket during booking.

Harvey has two prior felony convictions from Comanche County: September 2006, first-degree burglary; and August 2020, possession of a firearm after former felony convictions, records indicate.

Held on $50,000 bond following his initial appearance Tuesday in Comanche County District Court, Harvey returns to court at 3 p.m. July 31 for his preliminary hearing conference.