Two Leesburg men are behind bars after a victim claimed they accused him of stealing their drugs and then beat him.
When deputies arrived at a residence on SE 252nd Avenue in Umatilla, the victim claimed that he had been waiting for another friend to pick him up at a residence on 249th Terrace while 19-year-old Christian Ames Messick and 20-year-old Tieler Gage Eakright allegedly were dealing drugs. He said the two men “realized the drugs were not as heavy as they were supposed to be” and started screaming at him and accusing him of stealing from them, a sheriff’s office report states.
The victim claimed they forced him to take off his clothes so they could search him and Messick then allegedly pointed a gun at him and asked him if he had stolen the drugs. The victim said he denied taking the drugs and Messick told if that if he did not admit to stealing the drugs, he would shoot him, the report says.
The victim said he was in fear of being shot so he admitted to stealing the drugs. He said Messick then struck him the face with the butt of the gun and then both men started punching him in the face and body. He said he eventually got up, grabbed his pants and ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911, the report says.
Deputies noted that the victim’s head was bleeding and his right eye was swollen and bruised. He was wearing just underwear and jeans and had no other clothing, the report says.
Deputies then went to the residence on 249th Terrace to speak with Messick and Eakright. Both denied touching the victim. Eakright then claimed that the victim had punched him first and he was acting in self-defense. And Messick continued to deny touching or striking the victim “but could not give a clear recollection of what happened,” the report says.
Both Messick and Eakright were taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail. Messick, who listed his address as 11532 Lake Drive in Leesburg, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was held with no bond and is due in court on July 9 at 9 a.m.
Eakright, who listed his address as 11327 Lockwood St. in Leesburg, was charged with battery and held on $10,000 bond. He is due in court on July 18 at 8 a.m.