A Villager involved in a long-running toxic relationship with her neighbor will escape prosecution on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Villager Carl Rittenhouse, 73, suffered two cuts on the side of his head on May 8 when his on-again off-again lady friend, 75-year-old Janet Zahorian, allegedly threw a piece of glass furniture at him. The two had been arguing over money he reportedly owed her.
Rittenhouse had been bailed out of jail the previous day after he was spotted at the bar at Bonefish Grill on Wedgewood Lane in The Villages. He had been banned from the popular restaurant after he was caught in March keying a woman’s car in the parking lot.
In May in Sumter County Court, Rittenhouse signed a waiver of prosecution indicating he did not want to see Zahorian prosecuted on the charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in her alleged attack on him. He claimed Zahorian “never intentionally struck or intentionally hit me,” according to a court document.
Last week, the prosecutor’s office announced that no information would be filed in the Zahorian case.
Zahorian in 2014 and 2015 sought orders of protection against Rittenhouse.
In 2016, Rittenhouse was convicted of terrorizing Zahorian, who was then battling cancer. He punched her and stole her hairpiece in one incident and in another attempt to intimidate Zahorian, stole her wig from her car while it was parked at the Waterfront Inn. Zahorian told deputies she had changed the locks on her home five times in 12 months and repeatedly changed the code on her garage.
Rittenhouse had been arrested in April 2014 on a charge of battery after an altercation with Zahorian in the Cherry Vale Villas, where they both have homes. He was placed on one year’s probation, but Rittenhouse’s attorney was able to persuade the judge to terminate the probation early. It was terminated on Jan. 27, 2015.
Rittenhouse has been previously convicted of drunk driving, twice in 2007 and once in 2011. In December 2014, he was cited for parking in a handicapped spot.
