A man who was found naked and seriously injured in a wooded area in Pevely was able to help to police officers arrest his attacker, the Pevely Police Department reported.
The department issued a written statement today, Aug. 4, saying law enforcement found the victim the night of July 30 in a wooded area. The man was transported to Mercy Hospital Jefferson for treatment.
The report said the victim, a 30-year-old homeless man, told officers he had been injected with narcotics and sustained multiple cuts from an edged weapon. In addition, the victim had been shot multiple times with an airsoft-type weapon.
“He’s got serious injuries,” Police Chief Jamie Mayberry said. “He has lacerations all over his body.”
According to the police report, the victim was able to escape from the attacker and fled to a nearby wooded area where he remained hidden for an unknown period of time before law enforcement found him. The victim was found “nude, delirious and suffering from exhaustion,” the report said.
Mayberry said the victim identified the suspect as a 62-year-old Pevely man who was arrested July 31 at his home without incident. Investigators seized items including narcotics and a sawed-off shotgun in the suspect’s home, the report said.
Mayberry said his department is seeking charges against the suspect that include first-degree assault; armed criminal action; two counts of possession of a controlled substance; possession of an illegal weapon and unlawful use of a weapon.
The suspect is being held at the Jefferson County Jail without bond, Mayberry said.