Tennessee Teen Charged After Man Found Beaten, Child Taken

Officers responding to a welfare check at a residence on Mercer Street in Knoxville, Tennessee around 8:45 a.m. on a Sunday found a man naked, unconscious, and badly injured in the bathroom. The man had suffered serious head trauma, including a subdural hematoma. A strong smell of bleach filled the home. The man’s 3-year-old child and a Ford Expedition were missing. He was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Suspect Identified

Police identified 19-year-old Charles Coffman as the suspect. During questioning, Coffman allegedly admitted to slamming the victim to the ground, punching him repeatedly, beating him with a toilet plunger, forcing the plunger into the man’s mouth, dragging him into the bathroom, stripping him, and pouring bleach on his wounds. Coffman told officers he had traveled to the home at the request of his mother - who was incarcerated at the time - to pick up the child via Uber. However, police said Coffman’s mother denied ever authorizing him to take the child or the vehicle. Police records identified the child’s guardians as the victim and Coffman’s mother.

Recovery of the Child

A BOLO was issued for the missing child and vehicle. Sevierville police soon located the Ford Expedition and found Coffman, a woman, and the 3-year-old inside. The child was taken to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital for evaluation. The woman told police she had walked into the Mercer Street home, seen the victim on the floor, and that Coffman handed her the child before they left. She also said she overheard Coffman on a phone call stating he thought he had killed the man and wasn’t sure if he was alive or dead.

Coffman was charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, theft, and tampering with evidence. He was held in the Knox County Jail with no bond set. At police request, he wrote an apology letter to the victim.

References: Man Was Found Naked and Beaten with a Plunger - What Police Say Happened Next Is Even Worse | Warrants: 19-year-old beat man, stuffed a plunger in his mouth and poured bleach on him before kidnapping child | 19-year-old beats man with plunger, covers him in bleach then kidnaps his child, police report says