‘Lovers quarrel’ leads to wanton endangerment charges for 2

Two local men are facing charges from an incident stemming from what police called a “lovers quarrel.”
Bobby Griggs, 35, of Cobb Hill Road, and Joey Kelley, 28, of Barnes Mountain Road, were arrested after trying to run another man off the road with their vehicle.
According to the uniform citation issued by Estill County Sheriff’s Deputy Karl Rifenbark, Griggs and Kelley tried to cause harm to the victim when they side-swept his car and fled the scene of an accident.
On Nov. 16 , Phillip Michael Larrison, of Dawes Road, reported that he had been in a two-vehicle injury accident.  When police arrived there was only one vehicle—the one belonging to Larrison.
The vehicle was sitting in an embankment on the northbound side of Pea Ridge Road.
He said two men in a blue Ford Ranger ran him out of the road by side-swiping him and then turned around and attempted to run him out of the road again.
The accident caused severe damage to the front and side of the vehicle. Larrison sustained possible injuries and was transported to Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital.
Larrison told Rifenbark the incident started when two “large-stature” men approached his vehicle while it was sitting in the driveway at 2595 Pea Ridge Road.
According to the citation, “Larrison said both males appeared to have metal pipes in their hands.”
The suspects allegedly hit the front of Larrison’s vehicle knocking the headlight out.
Out of fear, Larrison left the driveway. He said the men followed him and caused the accident while both vehicles were still in motion.
He told Rifenbark he drove over the embankment to avoid the second attempt at running him off the roadway.
There was no evidence of who might have caused the accident or who the pipe-wielding men were until dispatch received a suspicious phone call.
At approximately 5:30 a.m. Rifenbark was dispatched to Shell Mart on Richmond Road where Griggs, the driver, and Kelley told him someone has struck their blue Ford Ranger in the parking lot and then fled the scene.
The damage to the vehicle was consistent with the damage to Larrison’s vehicle.
The men admitted they had gone to check on Larrison’s girlfriend and alleged that Larrison struck their vehicle.
Rifenbark said the damage wasn’t consistent with the story the men told.
He also had prior knowledge of Larrison’s relationship problems with his girlfriend.
Kelley had allegedly been seen with Larrison’s girlfriend prior to the accident.
Rifenbark concluded Griggs and Kelley had wantonly swiped the vehicle potentially causing injury to the passengers.
He signed a criminal complaint at the Estill County Attorney’s office on Nov. 19 charging Griggs and Kelley with first-degree wanton endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident.
At press time, warrants for arrest of both men had been issued.
Griggs was arrested Nov. 24 by Deputy Randy Farthing