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A spirit that is not afraid

Lyft driver won't let 'one bad apple' spoil the job after alleged assault by Auburn student

An Auburn student, 20-year-old Jess Erwin Ralston, from Auburn, has been charged with third-degree assault, police said, after attacking a 58-year-old female Lyft driver in the 200 block of West Longleaf Drive.

<p>An Auburn student, 20-year-old Jess Erwin Ralston, from Auburn, has been charged with third-degree assault, police said, after attacking a 58-year-old female Lyft driver, Lennie Hartzog (above), in the 200 block of West Longleaf Drive. (via Trip Watson)</p>

An Auburn student, 20-year-old Jess Erwin Ralston, from Auburn, has been charged with third-degree assault, police said, after attacking a 58-year-old female Lyft driver, Lennie Hartzog (above), in the 200 block of West Longleaf Drive. (via Trip Watson)

A local Lyft driver is optimistic while recovering from an assault early Sunday morning, her attorney said.

An Auburn student, 20-year-old Jess Erwin Ralston, from Auburn, has been charged with third-degree assault, police said, after attacking a 58-year-old female Lyft driver in the 200 block of West Longleaf Drive.

Lennie Hartzog, the driver, sustained a broken nose, a broken arm and scrapes on her hand from the assault, which happened at about 1 a.m. Sunday morning.

Hartzog's attorney said Ralston got in Hartzog's car in downtown Auburn at SkyBar.

"A young lady had made the phone call and was paying for the ride apparently," her attorney, Trip Walton, said. "He got in the car and was very hostile toward people — not the driver. But she noticed he was talking out of his head, sort of. And when they got to the destination, he refused to get out, so she called 911."

The 911 operator suggested she get out, open his door and ask him to please exit.

"When she did so, he basically beat the hell out of her," Walton said.

Hartzog was transported by ambulance to East Alabama Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. Walton said they would know Tuesday whether she will require surgery for the injuries to her humerus.

Police say officers located Ralston Monday morning and arrested him. He's been charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, but state prosecutors could choose to upgrade the charges to a felony assault if they deem the injuries serious enough.

He was taken to the Lee County Jail, where he has been released on bail. The case remains under investigation.

"We think it's felony assault because of the seriousness of the injuries," Walton said. "We're gathering information, and we're going to lock down any video there may be from the scene, the buildings, from her car, anything there may be at the SkyBar area, just to see what happened and confirm everything."

Hartzog, a local paramedic for more than 30 years, drives for both Lyft and Uber to make ends meet. 

"Her parents are deceased, and her father left the estate in sort of a financial mess," Walton said. "So she's had to sort of get after it to make ends meet."

Walton said Hartzog isn't going to let one bad experience stop her from driving. So far, Walton said she's given more than 1,800 rides through Lyft and Uber in Auburn.

"She loves Auburn students," Walton said. "They normally behave very well. She doesn't think one bad apple ought to run her out of the driving business. So at some point she'll start driving again. She's very optimistic.

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Chip Brownlee | Editor-in-chief

Chip Brownlee, senior in journalism and political science, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.


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