Last week, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a Blairsville resident for allegedly injuring another man so badly that Union County Sheriff Shawn Dyer was afraid the incident would result in a murder charge.
Charles Bennett, 56, has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery, and additional charges are anticipated, according to the GBI.
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Around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, sheriff’s deputies responded to a home on Pleasant Hill Road in reference to an assault involving two men who were acquainted with one another.
“(Bennett) actually made the phone call for us to come to his residence and remove the subject, and when the deputies got there, they found a man severely beaten,” Sheriff Dyer said. “And Bennett had some injuries also.
“The (badly injured man) was airlifted from here to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and Bennett was taken to Union General Hospital. Bennett was released from the hospital (Friday, Nov. 7), and I took him into custody about lunchtime; he’s now in my jail.”
Investigators believe the men had been fighting, potentially over two different rounds, and that Bennett beat the other man with a blunt object up to and including the point of unconsciousness, according to Sheriff Dyer.
Normally, the Sheriff’s Office would handle an assault investigation, but Sheriff Dyer said that “due to the severe injuries on the victim, there was a good possibility it could have turned into a murder.”
And it still could if the victim succumbs to his injuries, Dyer said. GBI said Thursday that the airlifted man was in critical condition, and the newspaper did not have an update on his condition by press time.
“When they’re flown out of our jurisdiction, the GBI’s got better resources than what we’ve got to continue an investigation,” Dyer said. “They can send other agents to do interviews and all kinds of stuff, where we can’t.”
The investigation remains active and ongoing, per the GBI.
“If anyone has any information regarding this case, please contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland, Georgia, at 706-348-4866, or the Union County Sheriff’s Office at 706-439-6066,” GBI said.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), by reporting online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
“Once the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” GBI said.
