Jackie Huffman, 30, of the Festus area says she feels like she cannot wake up from a nightmare.
Her father, Michael Huffman, 68, is in an area hospital fighting for his life after he allegedly was beaten with a metal pipe outside his home on Ivy Lane west of Festus on Sept. 17.
Dale Elmer Edwards, 75, who lives in the same subdivision, has been charged with two felonies for allegedly assaulting his neighbor.
Jackie said her father suffered a heart attack as a result of the alleged assault and then developed pneumonia because fluid had seeped into his lungs.
“Before this happened, he already had seven heart attacks and a stroke,” Jackie said. “He has had his health problems, but he has been taking his medicine and controlling it. He had his last heart attack eight or nine years ago, and everything had been OK.”
Jackie said her father’s injuries also include two broken ribs and bruises on his face, arms and legs.
She said her father seemed to be improving, but suffered a setback Sunday, when he was transferred back to the intensive-care unit, after temporarily being taken out of ICU and off a ventilator on Sept. 25.
“As of right now, I don’t believe they have (put him back on a ventilator), but they have been talking about it,” Jackie said. “If they have to put the ventilator back in, they will have to put him back in a coma. They have told us, if they have to do that, they probably will not be able to wake him back up.”
Jackie said on Monday, a hospital employee told the family Michael was doing better and responding to questions by nodding his head, although he was still not talking.
Jackie lives with her father and mother, Dale Huffman, 61. Jackie’s son, Parker Huffman, 1, also lives with them
Jackie said her parent’s 45th wedding anniversary is Oct. 18.
She said her entire family is heartbroken.
Michael and Dale Huffman have four other children: Julie Huffman-McCarver, Jana Huffman, Jim Huffman and Joe Huffman, plus five grandchildren.
“We are all just so confused,” she said. “My dad is Superman. That is his nickname. He has a Superman tattoo. Me and my little brother (Joe) have Superman tattoos. We have Superman all over the house. I know he is fighting in there.”
Jackie has set up a GoFundMe page called “My Father’s Hospital Bills” to help cover medical costs, and as of Monday morning, it had brought in $2,800 toward the $5,000 goal.
“After everything that happened, it shows there are still good people out there,” she said. “I cannot begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has donated. It is very humbling and nice to know there are people out there who still have hearts and care.”
Jackie said about a week before the alleged assault her father saw Edwards bent over and unable to walk and offered him a chair.
But on Sept. 17, Michael allegedly saw Edwards taking pictures of his house and confronted him and the two began arguing, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
Edwards allegedly struck Michael in the midsection with a walking stick and then struck him on the head with a metal pipe.
While Michael was on the ground, Edwards allegedly hit his neighbor about 20 more times with the pipe, the report said.
Jackie said her father told her that after the alleged assault, Edwards threatened that if his family called the police he would “shoot and kill” them.
The Sheriff’s Office couldn’t find Edwards until about 11 a.m. the next day, after a woman called 911 to report Edwards started yelling at her while she was bringing her trash cans in from the end of her driveway, Bissell said.
The woman said Edwards threatened to “do to her what he did to the (other) victim” before authorities arrived, the report said.
When deputies arrived at Edwards’ home, he allegedly refused to answer his door and called 911 and told the dispatcher that if deputies didn’t stop knocking on his door, he would start shooting at them, Bissell said.
The Sheriff’s Office’s negotiators and SWAT team members set up near the home, and about 12 hours later, Edwards came out of the home and was arrested without further incident.
On Sept. 18, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Edwards with first-degree assault on a special victim, a class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and armed criminal action, an unclassified felony that carries a penalty of at least three years in prison.
Edwards was being held without bond Monday in the Jefferson County Jail.
The Sept. 17 incident reportedly was at least the second time Edwards had a dispute with a neighbor this year, according to authorities.
In February, a woman reportedly confronted Edwards, accusing him of looking into her child’s bedroom window while the child was getting dressed. The woman said Edwards pulled out a gun, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger while they were arguing. Edwards told deputies he pointed the gun in the air, not at the woman, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
On Aug. 7, Edwards was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a class E felony, stemming from the February incident, court records show.
The class E felony carries a penalty of up to four years in prison.