CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Tenn. — A Claiborne County caretaker faces a slew of charges after investigators believe he brutally beat an elderly woman and killed and severely mutilated dogs and cats.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives said they responded to a call at a home on Snodgrass Road in New Tazewell and found a 66-year-old woman had been brutally beaten.
Detectives determined the woman had been assaulted by her caregiver, Craig Douglas Chapman Jr., 43, who had been arrested the night before for public intoxication and unlawful carrying of a weapon. According to the sheriff's office, he was found swinging a sword in the roadway.
The woman was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and the sheriff's office said while detectives were investigating at the scene, they found several dead and severely mutilated dogs and cats in the home and on the property.
Deputies said several living dogs and cats were rescued from the property and transported to the Claiborne County Animal Shelter.
Chapman’s additional charges include aggravated assault, aggregated neglect of a vulnerable adult, 5 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
Records released to 10News by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation show Chapman faced a charged of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor in February 2015, which was ultimately dismissed in January 2016.
Records also indicate he faced charges of violation of implied consent, seat belt law violation, first offense DUI and driving on a revoked/suspended license in February 2012. The charges for driving on a revoked license and carrying a weapon- domestic violence/order of protection were dismissed in July 2012. He pled guilty for a lesser charge on the DUI.