Attack leaves Ore. teen burned and beaten
WALDPORT, Ore. (AP) - An attack that an acquaintance said followed years of bullying has left an 18-year-old scorched, bruised, blistered and bereft of much of his hair.
Police arrested three men in the beating Saturday, and more details emerged this week from an affidavit the Eugene Register-Guard obtained and interviews with friends of the victim.
Police say attackers beat and burned the victim, his nose was broken, and he appeared to have been sexually assaulted. A friend, Ben Elliott, 19, said the victim was beaten with a broom and assaulted with the handle of a hammer.
The three, 18-year-old Christopher William Sparks, 19-year-old Cody Christopher Rector, and 20-year-old Robert Abenecu Bernal, are accused of assault, sodomy, rape, harassment and reckless endangering. One lived with the victim, authorities said.
Waldport resident Nikki Dixon told the paper she's been a friend of the three and the victim. The beating began with a dispute between one of the three men and the victim, the object of longstanding bullying, she said.
The police were called after two people walked in on the assault, Elliott said.
He said the victim, unconscious at first, was released from the hospital Tuesday and was feeling better, walking and talking.
"He had bruises and blisters all over his face. A lot of his hair was burned off," Elliott said. "His eyes were black and blue, his ears were badly burned, both totally scorched."
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)