A local man who sought a restraining order against an Ellsworth village trustee has been charged with a felony related to a gas station confrontation between the two.

Sean Arron Hall, 55, Ellsworth, has been charged with felony battery to elder person – intentionally cause bodily harm and disorderly conduct in Pierce County Circuit Court. His initial appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and/or fines up to $10,000.

According to the complaint:

For several months before a July 2 confrontation at Cenex in Ellsworth, Hall had been vocal at Ellsworth Village Board meetings and on local community social media pages, criticizing and questioning the Ellsworth Village Board’s decisions and actions.

At 9:29 a.m. Thursday, July 2, police were dispatched to Cenex (610 E. Main St.) for a man who hit his head during an altercation with Hall. The man was identified as Ellsworth Village Board Trustee Tony Hines, 74, Ellsworth. When officers arrived, he was leaning against the building near the store’s main entrance, where some bystanders had helped him.

Hines told officers he was coming out of Cenex when he encountered Hall. He then started chastising Hall about Hall’s behavior at local government meetings. He admitted he was the first one to speak to Hall, not the other way around. He also admitted he was pointing at Hall in a confrontational manner, with his finger out toward Hall’s chest. He denied poking him in the chest.

Hines said Hall struck him and caused him to fall to the ground. He described it as a “hit” rather than a “push.” He stated he struck his head on the concrete parking lot, and that the blow was hard enough to knock him out.

“That means I couldn’t see nothing; I was out,” Hines said.

He estimated the time he was unconscious as being approximately one minute. However, security footage shows he could not have been unconscious for more than 10 seconds.

Officer Foss observed the victim’s injuries. At the time of that first interview, the back of Hines’ head was beginning to swell. Foss said there was “a large amount of redness;” he also observed some small Band-aids on Hines’ head. He was told there had been some blood and that the Band-aids had been put there by a bystander.

The Cenex manager took Foss inside to view surveillance footage. “The camera that captured the footage faces the parking lot just outside the front door. The door itself is slightly out of the camera’s field of view. The video shows Hall walking to the entrance around 9:22 a.m. The edge of the door can be seen as it opens, and Hall can be seen backing up and holding the door open. Hall puts his hand on the victim’s shoulder and pushes him, causing him to fall to the ground. The victim’s head then strikes the pavement. The victim then rolls onto his left side and lays motionless for about eight seconds. At this time, Hall begins circling the downed victim and pointing at him. Two unrelated individuals approach the victim to check on the situation. They help him up while Hall stands by,” the report states.

A second camera from inside the store depicts the same altercation from a different angle. Due to its location, this camera shows less than the outside camera.

Foss then interviewed Hall, who said he was going to Cenex to get breakfast. He said as he was going in, Hines was coming out and began verbally harassing him. Hall said he tried to defuse the situation and said he “didn’t want to talk about it,” but Hines wouldn’t let it go and said something like “yeah, I know you don’t want to talk about it.” He claimed Hines “shoulder checked” him, putting his left shoulder into Hall’s chest and refusing to allow Hall to pass. Hall had no marks on his chest and said his pain level was a 1 on a scale of 1-10.

Foss arrested Hall and transported him to Pierce County Jail.

Hines went to Red Wing Mayo Hospital where he was treated for abrasions on both elbows, knees and a concussion. He said he did not touch Hall before being pushed. Hines said he has been having headaches since the incident and rated the pain an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Hall applied for a temporary restraining order July 13 against Hines, but Pierce County Court Commissioner Phillip A. Helgeson denied it, saying Hall failed to meet the burden of proof. The court also dismissed a restraining order injunction request from Hall July 23.

At a special village board meeting in July, the board voted (with Trustee Lance Austin against) to provide defense for Hines “due to the fact that it is clear that the incident causing [the case] would not have taken place if Tony Hines had not been an elected trustee of the Ellsworth Village Board,” Trustee Jarod Traynor said at the time.