A man who was beaten, tied up and taken to another county in the trunk of his own vehicle in December bit part of the finger off of one of his assailants.

One of the alleged perpetrators in the crime, Heather Kay Hersha, 32, of 8013 E. CR 250S, Pierceton, was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 4:40 p.m. Monday on a charge of criminal confinement.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed Friday, she is being charged with criminal confinement, a level 3 felony; and aiding, inducing or causing battery while armed with a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony. Her bond was set at $20,000 surety with a $250 cash bond.

At 7:36 a.m. Dec. 19, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department received a report that a motorist was following a gray passenger vehicle when the trunk lid came open and the motorist observed a man in it. The man was bleeding from the head and appeared to have suffered severe injuries or was possibly deceased, court documents state. Officers searched the area but did not find the vehicle with a subject in the trunk.

Three hours later, the Noble County Sheriff’s Department received information of a man bleeding from the head located on a roadway in Noble County near Indian Village.

KCSD Officer Jon Tyler went to Noble County and the battered man was being treated by medical personnel. He was identified as Eric Crum.



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Crum said he went to Shawn Jefferson’s residence to meet Hersha, who had invited him over. When Crum walked inside Jefferson’s residence, he was jumped by two men and they hit him with an object and tried to knock him out, according to court documents. The blow did not render Crum unconscious and a fight ensued. During that fight, Crum said, he bit off part of Jefferson’s finger.

The two men who jumped Crum, Jefferson, Hersha and a man by the name of Frankie tied Crum up and held him captive at the Jefferson residence, court documents state.

Crum told officers that after he was tied up, Hersha and Jefferson put him in the trunk of his vehicle and drove him to an unknown location. He was able to open the trunk up at one time but being tied up prevented him from fleeing.

Hersha and Jefferson then drove to a wooded area and parked. Crum saw Jefferson with rope and a rag and was pouring liquid on the trunk of the vehicle. Crum thought Jefferson was going to light the car on fire. Crum also saw Hersha at that time.

Crum said he knew there was another vehicle in the wooded area and he heard the car doors shut and the vehicle drive away. Crum got out of the trunk and fled through the wooded area to the road. Officers found Crum’s vehicle parked in the game preserve, court documents state.

Officers obtained and executed a search warrant for Jefferson’s residence. Inside they found blood on the floor. Jefferson’s father said his son had been in a fight and had his finger “bitten off,” court records indicate.

Kevin Gelbaugh, KCSD officer, spoke with Jefferson who admitted there was a fight between “a guy named Eric” and he and the guy bit his finger off. He also told officers that earlier in the evening Freddy Roberts had been in the residence.

KCSD officer Joshua Spangle spoke with Roberts who said he was at Jefferson’s residence and was present when Jefferson and another man got into a fight. He then left the residence.

Todd Sautter, KCSD officer, spoke with Hersha who told him that Crum wanted to come over and she told him that he could. She said Jefferson and Crum then fought, and Crum had blood on his face and Jefferson’s finger was bitten off.

 Crum told Sautter that he believes Hersha lured him to Jefferson’s residence, though she said Jefferson would not be there. When Crum arrived, Hersha opened the door and turned and walked away. Crum walked inside the residence and was struck with an object that he believes was a baseball bat.

Jefferson then allegedly jumped on top of him and they fought. Jefferson had his fingers in Crum’s mouth, pulling on his cheek, and Crum then bit Jefferson’s finger off. Roberts allegedly then said he had a gun so Crum stopped fighting because he was afraid they were going to shoot him. Hersha also allegedly was holding a knife.

Court documents state Crum’s assailants took everything out of his pockets, including his cellphone, and his jacket and then Hersha tied him up.

Crum also told officers he was able to get free from the ropes and grabbed a lamp and started swinging it. Jefferson, Hersha and Roberts came at him, trying to take him down. Crum attempted to jump through the window, but it didn’t break. He was then put on the floor and Jefferson allegedly struck him in the eye and hit him with the bat. Crum was then tied to a chair.

Crum said the fight and captivity began around 1 a.m. and lasted until 6 a.m., according to court documents.

Jefferson gave Roberts his coat, cellphone and wallet and told him to burn it. Roberts then left the residence, according to court documents.

Jefferson allegedly held a knife to Crum’s back and Hersha and Jefferson took him to his vehicle and put him in the trunk, shutting the lid.

Jefferson and Hersha then drove Crum around for several hours and eventually parked it. Before Jefferson and Hersha left, Hersha told Crum to wait five minutes and then get out of the trunk after he heard the vehicle leave.

Crum’s face was swollen, his right eye was swollen shut, his nose was swollen and bloody (and later found to be broken), left eye was blackened, there were bite marks on his chest, his right hand was bruised and swollen and there were injuries to his legs consistent with being struck with an object.

Court documents do not indicate why Crum was attacked.