Father of injured infant charged with witness tampering

Driver of car rammed by infant’s mother says father tried to bribe him with drugs

TEXARKANA, Texas -- A man accused of trying to get an alleged assault victim to change his account has been arrested for witness tampering by Texarkana, Texas, police.

The witness tampering charge against Delshun Chappel, 33, is related to charges of aggravated assault and injury to a child facing Charquevya Kirkendall, 22, according to a probable cause affidavit. Kirkendall was arrested April 18 after allegedly ramming her car into a vehicle carrying Chappel and the 5-month-old son of Chappel and Kirkendall.

Before the collision, Chappel had picked up the boy from Kirkendall's unit of the Town North Apartments on Elizabeth Street in Texarkana, Texas. The boy allegedly had injuries to his face, which led a man and woman to encourage Chappel to take the boy to the hospital.

As Chappel, the infant and their driver were leaving the apartment complex parking lot, Kirkendall allegedly hit their vehicle intentionally with her Honda Element. The driver suffered an injury to his wrist.

At the hospital, the baby -- who was in a car seat at the time of the crash -- was found to have a healing rib fracture, a skull fracture and a broken arm, leading to the charge of injury to a child against Kirkendall.

Kirkendall was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the driver's injuries.

The driver contacted Investigator Thomas Shaddix with the Texarkana Texas Police Department later in April with information about Chappel.

"After the initial crime, I was contacted by (the driver) who advised that he heard that Chappel was paying people to provide false testimony that would make Kirkendall appear innocent," a probable cause affidavit states.

The driver met with Shaddix in late April and provided him with a partial recording of a conversation he allegedly had with Chappel. Chappel allegedly can be heard discussing the charges against Kirkendall and offering to get the driver's car fixed "if he dropped the aggravated assault charge against Kirkendall."

The man allegedly claimed that Chappel offered him a pound of "ice" methamphetamine in addition to the auto repairs before he began recording.

Chappel is being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $75,000. Kirkendall is being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $400,000.

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