BERKELEY TOWNSHIP — A man who police said beat an 87-year-old woman with a golf club was apprehended during a traffic stop on Monday.

Berkeley Township Police said the woman was hitting golf balls on the fairgrounds at the Robert J. Miller Airpark on Route 530 early in the morning of Sept. 23 when David Steen approached her and began a conversation, before allegedly assaulting her. The woman suffered a minor head injury, but was able to leave and report the incident to police.

Steen, 51, of the Marlton section of Evesham, also robbed the woman, according to police.

Police identified the suspect after receiving hundreds of tips resulting from the release of a police sketch.

Steen was stopped by State Police on Monday morning on Route 70 in Southampton and taken into custody, according to Berkeley Township Police. He is being held at the Ocean County Jail on first-degree robbery, third-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon charges.

Investigators said witnesses recalled that Steen used to come to the Airpark with a small dog on a regular basis. Police would not disclose a motive for the beating or if the woman and Steen knew each other.

The Airpark is a 35-acre facility owned by Ocean County and includes an open field for recreational activities. The Ocean County Fair also takes place every summer at the Airpark.

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