Two Texas County men are each held in jail on $500,000 bond and face a trio of felony charges after an incident Saturday north of Houston.
Christopher Belcher, 32, of 205 Orchard St. in Raymondville, and Robert J. Owens II, 25, of 7656 Berry Lane in Houston, are each charged with first-degree assault – serious physical injury or special victim (a class A felony), along with first-degree attempted robbery and first-degree burglary (both class B felonies).
According to a deputy’s report, the officer was dispatched at about 9:25 p.m. regarding a man being hit in the head with a bat at a Highway E residence. Upon arrival, the deputy was advised by a pair of Houston Police Department officers who secured the scene for an ambulance that the men assaulted the victim and forced their way inside his residence demanding money.
The deputy went to Texas County Memorial Hospital and spoke with the victim, who said Owens had knocked on the door to his home and when he opened it, Belcher hit him in the face with a bat. The man reportedly told the deputy Belcher hit him again after making entry, and that the two intruders wanted $75.
The deputy also questioned a woman who was at the scene, and she said she told Owens and Belcher she would have the money by morning, and they threatened to come after her if she didn’t, according to a report. She said the intruders left, and she called law enforcement.