Pierceton Man Arrested After Alleged Attack Puts Man In Coma
January 20, 2022 at 11:34 p.m.
Pierceton Man Arrested After Alleged Attack Puts Man In Coma
By Jackie Gorski-
Joseph Scott Chaffins, 25, of 8991 E. CR 350N, Pierceton, was charged with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony.
Chaffins was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 11:42 a.m. Tuesday with a $20,250 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at about 9:46 a.m. Jan. 1, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to an unresponsive man in Leesburg with severe injuries to the face and head. Upon arrival, deputies found a man laying inside his garage near the service door, bleeding from his head and face.
One of the deputies spoke with the witness who said she and the man had been home for 10 minutes before the witness found the man battered. The witness said she was in the back bedroom and the man was in the kitchen and the witness yelled for the man, but he didn’t answer. The witness came out of the bedroom and noticed the door that leads to the garage was open. The witness said she attempted to yell for the man again, but he didn’t respond.
She said she heard what sounded like a struggle come from the garage and she headed to check on the man. Through a window that looks toward the garage service door, the witness saw a younger-looking man backing out of the door. She said the man had no facial hair, an orange shirt and appeared to be holding something in his hand that the witness described as an orange or red pipe wrench. The witness went into the garage and found the man laying on the floor bleeding.
During the initial investigation, the witness told deputies the man had been having trouble with Chaffins. The witness also said the man told her Chaffins broke into the man’s house the month prior and battered him, but the man didn’t report it. The witness also said on Dec. 31 Chaffins showed up at the man’s house and was told to leave.
A deputy began photographing the scene and noticed blood on the back of the service door, the floor and on the wall next to the door. The deputy also noticed a phone and a pair of glasses next to the door.
The deputy obtained an initial medical report on the man’s condition from the hospital. The deputy learned the man had multiple facial lacerations, including one above his right eye, as well as a laceration on the back of his neck. The man also had a neck fracture and a skull fracture. The man was later transferred to a hospital in Indianapolis due to his injuries.
On Jan. 6, a deputy spoke with someone who said Chaffins had been hiding in a residence in Pierceton since shortly after the Jan. 1 incident. The deputy was told Chaffins didn’t have a vehicle or phone, leaving him without a way to leave the property.
On Jan. 7, a deputy interviewed the witness who recounted what happened Jan. 1, including the description of the suspect. The woman was able to pick Chaffins out as the suspect in a provided assortment of photos.
On Jan. 7, a deputy, with assistance from the Kosciusko County SWAT Team, executed a search warrant on the residence in Pierceton. Chaffins was the only person in the residence and he was removed from the residence for officer safety.
Boots Chaffins requested were found to have dark spots on them consistent with blood. The boots were taken into evidence, as well as other items, including a jacket and a red metal handle that belonged to a vehicle jack, according to court documents.
On Jan. 11, deputies went to the hospital in Indianapolis to execute a search warrant collecting a DNA sample from the man. Upon arrival, deputies found the man in a medically-induced coma, on a ventilator and listed in critical but stable condition.
After speaking with the man’s medical providers and family, deputies were told the man had been stable long enough the medical providers believed he would survive his injuries. It was also reported the man had permanently lost vision in one eye.
Joseph Scott Chaffins, 25, of 8991 E. CR 350N, Pierceton, was charged with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony.
Chaffins was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 11:42 a.m. Tuesday with a $20,250 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at about 9:46 a.m. Jan. 1, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to an unresponsive man in Leesburg with severe injuries to the face and head. Upon arrival, deputies found a man laying inside his garage near the service door, bleeding from his head and face.
One of the deputies spoke with the witness who said she and the man had been home for 10 minutes before the witness found the man battered. The witness said she was in the back bedroom and the man was in the kitchen and the witness yelled for the man, but he didn’t answer. The witness came out of the bedroom and noticed the door that leads to the garage was open. The witness said she attempted to yell for the man again, but he didn’t respond.
She said she heard what sounded like a struggle come from the garage and she headed to check on the man. Through a window that looks toward the garage service door, the witness saw a younger-looking man backing out of the door. She said the man had no facial hair, an orange shirt and appeared to be holding something in his hand that the witness described as an orange or red pipe wrench. The witness went into the garage and found the man laying on the floor bleeding.
During the initial investigation, the witness told deputies the man had been having trouble with Chaffins. The witness also said the man told her Chaffins broke into the man’s house the month prior and battered him, but the man didn’t report it. The witness also said on Dec. 31 Chaffins showed up at the man’s house and was told to leave.
A deputy began photographing the scene and noticed blood on the back of the service door, the floor and on the wall next to the door. The deputy also noticed a phone and a pair of glasses next to the door.
The deputy obtained an initial medical report on the man’s condition from the hospital. The deputy learned the man had multiple facial lacerations, including one above his right eye, as well as a laceration on the back of his neck. The man also had a neck fracture and a skull fracture. The man was later transferred to a hospital in Indianapolis due to his injuries.
On Jan. 6, a deputy spoke with someone who said Chaffins had been hiding in a residence in Pierceton since shortly after the Jan. 1 incident. The deputy was told Chaffins didn’t have a vehicle or phone, leaving him without a way to leave the property.
On Jan. 7, a deputy interviewed the witness who recounted what happened Jan. 1, including the description of the suspect. The woman was able to pick Chaffins out as the suspect in a provided assortment of photos.
On Jan. 7, a deputy, with assistance from the Kosciusko County SWAT Team, executed a search warrant on the residence in Pierceton. Chaffins was the only person in the residence and he was removed from the residence for officer safety.
Boots Chaffins requested were found to have dark spots on them consistent with blood. The boots were taken into evidence, as well as other items, including a jacket and a red metal handle that belonged to a vehicle jack, according to court documents.
On Jan. 11, deputies went to the hospital in Indianapolis to execute a search warrant collecting a DNA sample from the man. Upon arrival, deputies found the man in a medically-induced coma, on a ventilator and listed in critical but stable condition.
After speaking with the man’s medical providers and family, deputies were told the man had been stable long enough the medical providers believed he would survive his injuries. It was also reported the man had permanently lost vision in one eye.
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