By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Christian James appeared in a pretrial hearing before Judge Rupert Wilhoit last Thursday, where testimony from the detective investigating the case painted a chilling picture of the alleged crime. According to testimony from Detective Eddie Littleton, with the Carter County Sheriff Department, the alleged victim – the fourteen-year-old brother of a young lady that James was dating – had reportedly experienced two brain bleeds while in the hospital following the alleged attack and would need reconstructive surgery to his face. In addition to the charge of attempted murder, James is charged with third degree terroristic threatening for allegedly telling the victim that he was “going to leave him to die at the Mushroom Mines,” according Littleton’s testimony, and for unlawful imprisonment because he held the victim against his will and wouldn’t allow the victim or the others in the vehicle to seek help. Littleton, who was not the responding officer on the scene, said he could not testify to the reasoning behind a fourth charge of wanton endangerment. James also allegedly held the driver of the vehicle, Charles Buckler, at knife point while they drove around with the victim in the vehicle, before finally returning him to his home.
According to the testimony from Detective Littleton, the responding officer, Deputy Stevens, reported that the juvenile was in the ambulance when he arrived on scene, and his face was bruised and bleeding with what Stevens’ report described as “major swelling,” according to Littleton. The juvenile was then transported directly to the Trauma Center at Cabell Huntington Hospital by EMS, due to the severity of his injuries.
Stevens was unavailable to testify at the pretrial due to a mandatory in-service training session he was required to attend.
According to the timeline presented by Detective Littleton, James was arrested after he was located at Hydreco Village by Trooper Dallas Salyers with the Kentucky State Police. Salyers, according to Littleton’s testimony and the arrest report, arrested James on a DUI and related charges after he located him with an open alcoholic beverage container in the vehicle and James failed a field sobriety test.
Littleton testified that he and Stevens were able to interview the victim after he was released from the hospital, and that the bruising and swelling to his face were quite significant – even several days later.
Littleton also said that he had been able to examine the impounded vehicle, which had been taken to Boyd County for forensic testing before being returned to a secure location in Carter County. He noted that there was significant blood splatter inside the vehicle, as well as some blood on the windows and frame outside the vehicle, leading them to conclude that at least some part of the alleged assault took place inside the vehicle.
On questioning from defense attorney Patrick Flannery, Littleton noted that he couldn’t say for sure where James was riding in the vehicle, but that they believed Buckler was driving based on interviews with the victim and witnesses. Littleton said that he couldn’t say if the victim was actually driven to the Mushroom Mines, but that was the alleged threat.
Following his questioning of the detective, Flannery asked the judge to dismiss the charge of attempted murder, arguing that “assault, even if bloody, doesn’t (amount to) attempted murder.”
“Just because there is an assault, and blood involved, doesn’t make it attempted murder,” Flannery said in making his request.
County attorney Brian Bayes, however, argued that the incident was “substantially larger” than simple assault, noting that the boy was beaten to the point of losing consciousness, that he’d had two brain bleeds, and that the alleged perpetrator reportedly told the victim he would leave him to die, based on the testimony from witnesses. He also noted that there was testimony that a third party (Buckler) was held at knife point. That, combined with the EMS decision to rush the victim to the trauma center because of the severity of his injuries, Bayes said, led the county to believe the incident constituted attempted murder.
Wilhoit agreed with Bayes, and bound the case over to the grand jury to decide if the incident met the level of the charges.
Flannery also asked for bond – with an ankle monitor. But Bayes said that the testimony of the investigating officers led him to believe James was still a danger.
Wilhoit told the attorneys that he didn’t currently have enough information to justify changing the bond conditions at this point, which means James will remain incarcerated at present.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
