By Shawn Henry 
A southwest Michigan man has been sentenced to several days in jail following a road rage confrontation that escalated into an unusual display of aggression involving a chainsaw. The case, which unfolded last fall in Van Buren County’s Waverly Township, ended in court this week with both jail time and probation for the driver at the center of the encounter.
Leonard Lowell Yonkman, 68, was ordered to serve eight days in jail, with credit for three days he had already served. Prosecutors said he will also remain on probation for six months. The sentencing stems from an October 5 incident outside a store along M-43, just north of Paw Paw.
Initial charges against Yonkman were severe, including assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a felony carrying a potential decade-long penalty. Those charges were later reduced. In mid-October, Yonkman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts: assault and battery and malicious destruction of property. The original assault charge was amended, and an additional felonious assault charge was dropped.
According to police reports, Yonkman told investigators he retrieved a Husqvarna chainsaw only after a woman confronted him outside his truck, yelling and approaching his vehicle aggressively. He said he did not intend to harm her with the tool and was unable to get it started during the exchange.
The woman involved provided a different account, telling officers she was headed to church after pulling out of her driveway. She believed she had enough time to enter the roadway before Yonkman’s pickup approached, but said his truck went around her and then abruptly pulled in front of her vehicle. She confronted him at multiple stop signs, asking why he had nearly run her off the road.
Investigators said surveillance footage from a nearby grocery store captured much of the confrontation, supporting the assault report and leading to the charges that ultimately brought the case to court.
All parties are innocent unless proven guilty.
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