In what is eerily reminiscent of a scene from the classic Oscar-nominated film “Fargo,” authorities in Oregon say a man has been arrested for trying to shove a co-worker into a wood chipper.
It happened around 1 p.m. on April 27 near Salem.
According to the Keizer Police Department, Austin Crawford, a 22-year-old tree service employee, was loading brush into a running wood chipper when he was attacked by a co-worker. The co-worker, identified by police as 26-year-old Scott Iverson, allegedly put Crawford in a choke hold and began to force him, head first, into the wood chipper’s infeed chute.
Crawford told police he grabbed the side of the machine and held on “for dear life,” according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Statesman Journal. Iverson then allegedly began punching Crawford in the head and attempted to force his leg into the wood chippers spinning blades.
Authorities said Iverson stopped the alleged assault when another co-worker intervened and pulled him off Crawford.
Iverson was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on a charge of first-degree attempted assault. He remains in custody on a $50,000 bond.
The case is reminiscent of a scene in the 1996 film Fargo, in which a man’s body is fed through a wood-chipper. However, unlike the victim in the film – which centers around a bizarre kidnap plot – Crawford says his near-death in a wood chipper was unprovoked.
“Prior to this we got along great, you know, we laughed, we joked, we talked,” Crawford told Portland’s KATU News.
The investigative documents state a witness to the incident said Iverson made a derogatory comment about Crawford prior to the attack.
“He’s a pedophile,” Iverson said, according to the witness. “I can tell by the way he’s talking.”
The Statesman Journal reports that accusations of pedophilia are unfounded. Crawford does not have a criminal record.
While a motive remains unclear, Crawford told KATU News he clearly remembers what was on his mind at the time of the alleged attack: “I don’t want to die this way.”
Iverson is scheduled to appear in court on May 11.
David Lohr covers crime and missing persons. Tips? Feedback? Send an email or follow him on Twitter.
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