Published: August 28, 2009 09:24 am      

Bat attack nets felony charges

A Stratford-area altercation earlier this week involving baseball bats has resulted in a couple of suspects facing assault related charges.

Despite the formal allegations coming on Wednesday, records show both Shayne Hickman, 35, and Edward Levi Gaither, 22, claim their action came in self defense after another individual attacked them.

Whatever the case, both were led into a Pauls Valley courtroom on the felony assault counts filed in Garvin County District Court.

Stratford police believe it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for a couple when they arrived late Monday night at a residence in the 500 block of Hyden in Stratford. The man claimed he was attacked in the driveway of that home by two subjects later identified as Hickman and Gaither.

An affidavit states that Hickman wielded a wooden bat during the incident, while Gaither had an aluminum bat in his hand.

Authorities were told the man and Hickman initially got into a struggle before both fell to the ground. From there Gaither is believed to have used a two-handed baseball style swing with his bat to strike the man fighting with Hickman.

An unnamed woman with the man, possibly his wife, was then struck with a bat as she screamed for them stop. Both suspects are then reported to have run from the scene.

According to the affidavit, the man was struck in the face and head, while the woman sustained injuries to her forehead, left arm and chest.

Family members of Hickman later contacted Stratford police about his whereabouts, while Gaither was picked up the next day.

While giving their side of it Gaither claimed to have had a confrontation with a group of other individuals earlier that night. He claimed to later tell Hickman of the incident as the two then got bats and returned to the site.

Once there they claimed to be confronted by a “large male subject” they didn’t know, who they said approached Hickman and struck him several times with a closed fist.

Hickman told police they both fell to the ground as Gaither used his bat to strike the subject on the head.

Both suspects were arrested as Gaither faces a charge of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, while Hickman’s assault charge is termed dangerous weapon.