30-year-old Jacob Adam Rhea had an altercation with Kathleen Donavon outside her Davidson Street apartment around 7:30 p.m. on July 4th. On July 9th, officers were dispatched to the residence, where they documented a report that was later assigned to detectives, who called Donovon, who was still admitted to Vanderbilt Hospital, regarding the sustained injuries from the incident. She advised them that she observed Rhea outside her apartment shooting fireworks on July 4th. Donavon added that they reside on private property, which Rhea did not live at, so she asked him to stop, and he did. Then, Donovon explained that she, her fiancé, Sarah Potenza, and Doree Fisher left the location to watch the downtown fireworks. When they returned, they noticed Rhea in their apartment parking lot, shooting fireworks unsafely. Potenza asked Donovon to confront him because she felt unsafe. During their interaction, Rhea became aggressive and started yelling at Donovon. This sparked an argument, leading to Rhea punching Donovon in the face. Potenza and Fisher stated that after Donovon was hit, she hit her head on the asphalt and was unconscious for about three minutes. Another witness, Kirk Manz, provided medical aid and alerted the authorities. Detectives later spoke with Christine Rodriguez, Rhea’s friend, who told them she was present for the occurrence and provided them with Rhea’s name. She added that Rhea left before the officers arrived. Donovon informed detectives that she sustained a fractured skull and two brain bleeds from the scuffle. Officers later reviewed surveillance footage corroborating witnesses’ statements and conducted a photo lineup, where Potenza identified Rhea as the person in question. Donovan said that she wished to press charges. Rhea was taken into custody for aggravated assault on July 18th.
Jacob Rhea knocks woman out, fracturing her skull after shooting fireworks outside apartment
