A Fairfield man was in the Butler County Jail Tuesday, charged with allegedly breaking into a West Chester apartment complex, attacking a worker, and forcing police to fish him out of a pond. 29 year old Zachary Taylor Ballard was confronted by staff at the Landings apartment complex, where he allegedly assaulted one of the workers with a hammer, according to West Chester Township spokeswoman Barb Wilson. Ballard then ran toward a retention pond, where he dove in and swam to a marshy island in the middle of the pond. Police called for assistance from the West Chester Fire Department, who provided a boat for officers to use. Officers arrested Ballard on the island and brought him back to shore, where he was treated for minor injuries, then taken to the Butler County Jail. Ballard is charged with felonious assault, as well as breaking & entering. Police are asking anyone who lives in apartments on Smith Road, Beckett Road, and Hutzelman Way to call 513-777-2231 if they believe they have been the victims of theft since May 1st.


(Photos Courtesy: West Chester Police, Butler County Sheriff's Office)