COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Coldwater Lake man is being held on $1 million bond for allegedly using his pick-up truck to run down an elderly couple in Branch County’s Kinderhook Township Monday night.
22-year-old McCain Matthew Snyder is charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder after he allegedly ran down the grandparents of a girl he was reportedly stalking.
Both charges are life felonies. Branch County Prosecuting Attorney Zach Stempien also charged Snyder with failure to stop at the scene of an accident with serious bodily impairment, a five-year felony.
Police say Snyder drove his Ford Ranger truck into the grass as he headed out of Simco Drive and struck 81-year-old David Sluyter and his 77-year-old wife Jill near their home. They reportedly were walking to the home of Snyder’s mother to tell her of accusations the man made against them.
The Sluyters told Michigan State Police that Snyder came to their home in the Shawnee Shoals subdivision earlier Monday night and accused them of sexually abusing the girl Snyder was allegedly stalking.
As Synder left, he reportedly warned the couple, “I’ll be back.”
Jill Sluyter received internal and head injuries, suffering from a fractured pelvis and back. Her husband had serious leg fractures and faced possible amputation of his left leg below the knee. A medical helicopter from Toledo flew him to Parkview Hospital in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
A report from Michigan State Police said Synder drove to a friend’s home on Central Road after the crash, where troopers located him and took him into custody.
Synder’s father told troopers Snyder recently began smoking lots of marijuana, writing on the walls, and fixating on Biblical passages.
The father also told troopers the suspect “swore up and down” that the two people he allegedly struck were child molesters. The girl denied to troopers any assaults ever took place, and she said she did not have a relationship with Snyder.
Around 5:30 p.m., two hours before the hit-and-run, troopers found Snyder parked at the State Police Post on State Street in Coldwater. He told them he was trying to ensure he wasn’t being hunted down.
Troopers say he did not appear to present any danger at that time.
A probable cause conference is set for June 25, with Snyder’s preliminary exam July 2, 2024.
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