BOWIE COUNTY, Texas -- A man accused of attacking another with a hatchet outside a Texarkana, Texas, motel in November was indicted Thursday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a Bowie County grand jury.
William Jamaal Childs, 30, allegedly struck a man in the side of the head with a hatchet Nov. 10, according to a probable cause affidavit. The men were outside a motel in the 2600 block of Lake Street. Patrol officers with the Texarkana Texas Police Department took Childs into custody as he walked on Garber Street.
"I asked Childs if he knew why we were speaking to him and he advised that he had just beat someone up," the affidavit states.
Officers located the alleged victim at the motel and observed him to be suffering from a large gash on the left side of his face near his left temple. LifeNet personnel "confirmed that the injuries appeared to be consistent with a wound from a hatchet."
The alleged victim allegedly told police that Childs was upset about a work situation. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
A witness reportedly told police that "Childs swung the hatchet hard enough to kill him but his swing was somehow obstructed by a TV that was sitting on the sidewalk."
Childs allegedly told officers that he left the hatchet in some nearby woods, but officers were unable to locate it during a search of the area.
Childs faces two to 20 years in prison if convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $100,000.
The case has been assigned to 5th District Judge Bill Miller. A date for Childs to appear for arraignment on the charge has not been scheduled.