A Bowie County grand jury indicted a man Thursday who allegedly used an axe to attack a male family member while the man was taking a shower.
Joshua Paul Jefferies, 38, is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with serious bodily injury, family violence. The offense is punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison.
Sheriff's deputies were called to the home of Jefferies' family on King's Highway on the morning of Nov. 18, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. Jefferies' mother allegedly told responding deputies that her son was in the back of the house with her husband and that he had an axe.
As deputies made their way through the house, they heard two men's voices.
"As I cleared the corner I observed a nude white male covered in blood on top of another clothed white male on the bed," the affidavit states. "There was a large walking-style stick on the bed with them."
Unsure of who was the suspect and who might be an alleged victim, one deputy covered the men with a pistol while others covered with "less than lethal force," the affidavit states. When asked where the weapon was, the men allegedly responded by stating it was on the floor.
"I turned and saw an axe with blood on the handle on the floor behind me," the affidavit states.
The nude man, who has a different last name than Jefferies, allegedly got up, said he had been struck with the axe, walked into the bathroom and got back into the shower.
Jefferies was handcuffed and checked for injuries but had none, according to the affidavit. The man who was nude when officers arrived had a large gash/puncture on his left collarbone, was clearly in pain and allegedly stated that he thought his shoulder was broken. The man also had a large gash on the back of his left hand. The man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.
Jefferies' mother alleged told deputies that his' connection to reality becomes impaired when he is under the influence of methamphetamine. The mother reported that Jefferies had entered the home at approximately 8 a.m. "talking to people she couldn't see," according to the affidavit.
Jefferies was allegedly talking about someone holding his family hostage in the shower and they needed to be let out. The mother was able to get in the bathroom with her husband after seeing Jefferies retrieve the axe and was trying to close the door when Jefferies began striking the door with the axe.
In an interview at the hospital, Jefferies' mother's husband allegedly told deputies that Jefferies had come into the house that morning with a walking stick and a can of gasoline. The man said he thought he had calmed Jefferies down after getting him to take the gas can out of the house and went to shower.
The man said he tried to reason with Jefferies when his wife came into the bathroom and Jefferies followed but to no avail.
"He (Jefferies) continued to yell, talking about people being hostage in the attic and in the shower, and how he was going to kill them if they didn't let them free," the affidavit states.
Jefferies allegedly began swinging the axe into the bathroom door as he kept the door from closing with his foot. The man said that when the door came open, the mother was able to run outside and call 911 while he tackled Jefferies onto the bed and held him there until deputies arrived.
The man injured by the axe allegedly was "adamant" with deputies that he did not want to press charges though the mother told deputies she did. Law enforcement may levy charges against a person suspected of family violence. Jefferies allegedly admitted to deputies that he used meth the day before.
Jefferies is expected to appear before 102nd District Judge Jeff Addison for arraignment in the next several weeks. He remains in Bowie County custody with bail set at $100,000.