ROGERSVILLE — One of two men accused of assaulting a pregnant Church Hill woman with a ball bat while in search of pills last September was indicted Friday on several charges while his accomplice remains unidentified and at large.
Benjamin “Craig” Carroll, 35, 323 Jones Road, Church Hill, was indicted Friday by a Hawkins County grand jury on charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, theft under $500, simple possession of marijuana, simple possession of Schedule III narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.
On Sept. 29, 2012, Carroll and another male suspect allegedly burst into a residence on Old Union Road because they believed there was pain medication present.
Shortly before the burglary, Carroll and the second suspect came into contact with the victim’s husband at the KenJo Market on Silver Lake Road in Church Hill.
Carroll allegedly recognized the husband as an acquaintance he knew to have had a problem with pills in the past.
Carroll allegedly asked the husband if he had “been to the doctor” and the husband said yes.
The husband then went to Wal-Mart while Carroll and his accomplice allegedly went to the husband’s residence.
Present at the residence on Old Union Road were the man’s 30-year-old wife, her 20-year-old brother-in-law, and two small children, ages 3 and 10 months.
The victims said that the back door was forced open and a male they both identified as “Craig Carroll” entered the residence waving an aluminum baseball bat demanding to know where the medicine was.
The woman, who was seven months pregnant at the time, said Carroll pinned her down with his knee in her abdomen, and while swinging the bat wildly struck her in the knee and the brother-in-law in the head and then hit a glass table causing it to shatter. The 10-month-old suffered cuts from the broken glass.
Carroll also allegedly held the bat at the wife’s throat and demanded pills.
The second suspect allegedly held down the brother-in-law while Carroll fled out the door with the woman’s purse containing medication, motorcycle keys and a motorcycle title.
The woman fired several shots at a fleeing Ford Bronco, striking it in the hood, passenger-side fender. Three shots struck but didn’t penetrate the windshield.
Police allegedly identified the Bronco at Carroll’s residence with the bullet holes.
Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tony Allen told the Times-News on Tuesday that the second suspect couldn’t be positively identified and Carroll refused to name him.