BAY CITY, MI -- A Bay City man is accused of mugging a friend on the street for some beer, then going to his victim's house to watch TV until police arrived.

Just before 1 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, police responded to the area of South Henry and Jane streets for an assault complaint. Officers found the 49-year-old male complainant lying on the ground next to a fence in front of 305 S. Henry St.

The man said he could not get up as he could not put weight on his left leg, court records show.

He told police he went to Old Town Party Store, 204 S. Henry St., to buy beer. At the store, he encountered his friend, 39-year-old William W. Shaults II, who was also trying to purchase beer. Staff would not sell to Shaults, however, due to his drunken state, the man told police.

The complainant bought his beer and exited the store, only to be followed by Shaults, he said.

"He started shoving me, telling me to give him my beer," the man told police, according to court files. "I had the beer in the inside pocket of my coat. William kept grabbing for the beer, trying to take it from me."

Shaults eventually shoved his friend, who hit a metal pole, he told police. In their reports, officers noted a large steel pipe jutting from the ground near where the complainant was lying. Medical personnel responded to the scene and had to lift the man onto a cot.

The man told police Shaults might have walked to his residence in the 500 block of South Linn Street. Police went there and found Shaults on a couch, watching TV.

Shaults told police he gave his friend cash to go buy beer, but when he didn't return, he went looking for him. He said he didn't make it very far before seeing his friend fall over. He added he never touched his friend, court records show.

Shaults at the time appeared inebriated and smelled of intoxicants, police wrote in their reports. Officers arrested Shaults, who grew unruly and yelled profanities, court records show.

Police later re-interviewed the complainant in the hospital. He denied having received cash from Shaults to buy beer.

"Even after he pushed me down, he grabbed the beer and tried to take it," the man said. "I wasn't giving it up."

Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Tuesday, Feb. 21, arraigned Shaults on one count of assault with intent to rob while unarmed, a 15-year felony. Kelly set Shaults' bond at $50,000 cash-surety bond.

Shaults is to appear for a preliminary examination before Kelly at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8.