Spencer woman claims gardener attacked her with rake

John Hayes/KFOR and Joleen Chaney/KFOR

11 mins ago

SPENCER, Okla. (KFOR) – A Spencer woman said a man she hired to work in her yard last month attacked her with a rake, leaving her with bruises.

Evelyn Newton said it happened on April 15. According to court documents, she told police she hired her longtime boyfriend, Lawrence Booker, to do the yard work for her.

The documents show that Newton paid Booker $300 for the work and gave him a $150 lawn trimmer in return.

Newton told News 4 she agreed to help Booker because he didn’t have one himself. Newton said the job worked out, but ultimately neither of them was able to complete all of the work before the end of the workday.

“He demanded payment and I knew he knew that on a job you don’t get paid until the work is done.”

According to court documents, Newton told police that Booker became enraged and began to verbally abuse her. According to the documents, Booker approached Newton from behind as she was walking away and the assault ensued.

“He comes up behind me, kind of hits me to the ground with the rake and starts hitting me all over the place,” Newton said.

In the documents, Newton told police that Lawrence stood as if he wanted to hold the rake to her throat. She also said she feared for her life and was in shock.

“For me personally, this was the most horrific experience with my body,” Newton said.

According to court documents, Newton did not file a report until April 17 after speaking with her family. According to the documents, Newton provided police with photos she took of her bruises on the day of the attack, and a police officer also took photos.

“I just felt the presence of God stopping him from killing me,” Newton said.

In an affidavit regarding Booker’s arrest, an officer describes the bruises as large and dark, even two days after the attack. He also mentions a prominent bruise on the underside of Newton’s right wrist, consistent with a defensive injury, as if someone had held their arms in front of their face to protect it.

“Everything has changed,” Newton said. “You know, it’s not the same when you walk into your house.”

The documents also note a voicemail Booker left for Newton three days after the alleged assault. Newton provided a copy of that voicemail to News 4.

“I just want you to know that I’m sorry for my behavior,” Booker said in the voicemail. “But I’d rather have that lesson learned than have someone else teach it to you. You misbehaved a little bit with people and their money and stuff, and that’s coming, you know, but I just wanted you to know that. But I’m sorry for what I did, so whatever it is, you can forgive me for it or not, but that’s a lesson for you, not for me. We’ll talk later.”

Booker was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on an assault charge.

County jail officials said he has since posted $75,000 bail.