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Man Admits To Trying To Throw His Coworker Head-First Into A Wood Chipper

He snuck up behind him and put him in a choke-hold before trying to ram him into a woodchipper.

By Gina Tron

A Keizer, Oregon tree trimming service employee has pleaded guilty to attempted assault after trying to push a worker head-first into a wood chipper.

Scott Iverson, 27, was initially arrested on attempted murder and attempted assault last May, according to KATU, after his coworker, Austin Crawford, 23, said Iverson put him in a chokehold and tried to shove him into the deadly wood-chipping machine. Another employee had to restrain Iverson in order to save Crawford’s life. Iverson will now spend 70 months behind bars for attempted assault.

Crawford recalled to KATU how he felt that day: “Out of nowhere he comes up behind me and puts his hand on my head and puts me in a choke hold. [...] I didn't want to die this way.”

In a statement, Keizer Police Deputy Chief Jeffrey Kuhns said that Crawford was merely loading brush into a running wood chipper when Iverson attacked him out of the blue, the Statesman Journal reports. Iverson reportedly snuck up on Crawford. Crawford was also punched in the head while trying to get away. The motive behind the attack is unclear, although Iverson reportedly told another employee, "He's a pedophile. I can tell by the way he's talking." The victim doesn’t have a criminal record of sexual abuse and he said he didn’t know there was any tension or bad blood between the two. Crawford's neck and jaw were injured during the attack, the Statesman Journal reports.

[Photo: Marion County Jail]

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