Baseball bat earns man aggravated assault charge

PARIS — A Paris man was arrested and charged with two counts of elevated aggravated assault Saturday, January 29th.

Paris Police Officer Timothy Gamache arrested Anthony Johnson, 52, at his house at 1 Academy Street following a domestic disturbance. Elevated Aggravated Assault is a class A felony.

According to police, Johnson was involved in a dispute, during which he retrieved a baseball bat and proceeded to strike two victims in the head and torso before they fled to a neighbor's house. His use of a bat is the reason the crime was raised to a Class A felony.  

After police arrived, the two victims were transported to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway for treatment. As of Tuesday, the victims had been released from care with no long-term injuries.

While in custody, Johnson was further charged for tampering with a witness. He allegedly lied to jail staff while incarcerated, by telling them he was calling another family member before calling one of the victims. Johnson reportedly left a message demanding that the victim change their story. As the witness was a victim in the above crime, this case of tampering is a Class B felony.

Johnson was arraigned in court on January 31, and bail for the two crimes has been set at a combined $100,000. He is currently incarcerated at the Oxford County Jail.

Photo:

Anthony Johnson