A Villager whose toxic relationship with a neighbor made recent headlines has received a stiff sentence after being convicted of his fourth drunk driving arrest.
Carl Rittenhouse, 73, on Wednesday in Sumter County Court was sentenced to six months in the Sumter County Detention Center. He was found guilty of the charge last week after taking his case before a jury. The Village of Tall Trees resident will mark his 74th birthday on Sunday behind bars.
A Sumter County sheriff’s deputy on March 25 watched as Rittenhouse keyed a blue Hyundai Sonata at Bonefish Grill on Wedgewood Lane in The Villages. The deputy approached the Pennsylvania native and asked why he had keyed the woman’s car. Rittenhouse responded he was “mad at her.” It appeared Rittenhouse had been drinking and he failed field sobriety exercises. A receipt was found in his pocket, showing he had purchased three Tito’s Handmade Vodkas with ice earlier that evening. Rittenhouse claimed he was suffering chest pains and was transported by ambulance to The Villages Regional Hospital. He later signed himself out of the hospital. He provided breath samples that registered .148 and .144 blood alcohol content.
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.
Rittenhouse’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, 76-year-old Janet Zahorian, escaped prosecution earlier this year on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She had been charged with throwing a piece of glass furniture at him. The two had been arguing over money he reportedly owed her. Zahorian in 2014 and 2015 sought orders of protection against Rittenhouse.
In 2016, Rittenhouse was convicted of terrorizing his estranged lady friend, 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.
