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Man Claims He Was Attacked By San Joaquin County DA Candidate

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY (CBS13) - The man who was allegedly attacked by a local lawyer running for district attorney in San Joaquin County spoke to CBS13. He says it all started as an argument over money.

A hobbling Jim Ferroni insists he wasn't there to fight, "Until I run into this guy who wants to wrestle, but my wrestling days are over long time ago," he said.

The 61-year-old explains he went to help a caretaker hired to live with San Joaquin D.A. candidate Gary Hickey and Hickey's brother at their Lodi home. The woman told Ferroni that Hickey wouldn't pay her.

"I said, 'It's time to man up. You owe this lady money,"" said Ferroni.

He claims the 64-year-old Hickey attacked him.

"He whacked me in the head first with a shoe," said Ferroni. "He rammed me right in the side."

Ferroni says he was knocked over and his boot got caught as he fell and his left hip -- a replacement hip -- was dislocated.

"My hip was completely out. I was in terrible pain and here the guy picks up a fence post driver and comes at me with that," said Ferroni.

He says Hickey left when the woman threatened to call the police. Then Ferroni went to the hospital to get his hip popped back into place.

"It took over 45 minutes to get my hip back in and six people to do it," said Ferroni. "I want this man off the streets for what he did to that girl and what he did to me."

These are very serious allegations, so we wanted to give Hickey every opportunity to respond. Multiple attempts to reach him were unsuccessful."

In a phone interview with the Stockton Record Hickey denied any wrongdoing.

The D.A. candidate has not been arrested or charged with a crime. Police continue to investigate the conflicting stories, trying to get to the bottom of what really happened.

Hickey is no stranger to the law. He was arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of DUI, and last summer he was arrested following a hit-and-run crash with a telephone pole.

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