by Megan Schiffres
HEATHSVILLE—Ronald Jett of Heathsville, chairman of the Northumberland board of supervisors, on August 20 was found not guilty in a misdemeanor case of assault and battery before the Northumberland County General District Court.
Michael Robertson of Hartfield accused Jett of assaulting him without provocation on July 11, when Robertson visited Jett’s office to collect on a debt.
Robertson said in court that Jett owed him crabmeat as partial payment for some restaurant equipment Robertson sold to Jett months earlier. He claimed that during their meeting in Jett’s’ office, Jett became inexplicably agitated and threatened to punch him between the eyes.
“I didn’t go there to cause problems, I went there to get paid,” said Robertson. “He got up from his desk, grabbed me by both arms, lifted me off my toes, shoved me into the door and then later out the door.”
Robertson said in court that he scraped his forearm from wrist to elbow during the alleged assault.
Jett does not deny pushing Robertson out his office door, but he said in court that Robertson became angry when he heard that his crabmeat payment would be delayed for an hour and a half, and that he began cursing at Jett and pointing his finger in Jett’s face. Jett claimed he asked Robertson four or five times to leave his office and wait outside before he touched him……