KNOXVILLE, TN (LOOTPRESS) – A 19-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges after police say he beat a man, poured bleach on him, and kidnapped the man’s 3-year-old daughter.
Charles Coffman has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, theft, and tampering with evidence.
According to police warrants, officers were called to perform a welfare check at 1200 Mercer Street in Knoxville, TN, around 8:45 a.m. Sunday after a caller reported concerns that Coffman may have murdered a man and kidnapped his daughter.
When officers forced their way into the home, they found a naked man in the bathroom with a serious head injury and a strong smell of bleach, the warrants state.
The child was not at the scene, and police issued a BOLO for the victim’s stolen car.
Later, Sevierville police located the vehicle with Coffman, a woman, and the child inside, according to the warrants. The 3-year-old was taken to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital for evaluation.
The warrants state the victim suffered a subdural hematoma and other potentially serious injuries. He was unable to be interviewed by police.
During an interview with police, Coffman reportedly said his mother had called him from jail and told him to go to the Mercer Street home on Saturday or Sunday to get the child.
Coffman told police he and a woman—who was later found with him in the stolen car—took an Uber to the house.
Coffman told police he got into a fight with the victim, “slammed him to the ground, hit him in the face multiple times, hit him with a plunger and stuffed it into the victim’s mouth.”
The warrants also state Coffman admitted to dragging the victim into the bathroom, stripping him naked, and pouring bleach on his wounds.
He also admitted to taking the victim’s car, claiming he had permission from his mother.
Police asked Coffman to write an apology letter to the victim, which he did, according to documents.
However, when police spoke with Coffman’s mother in jail, she denied giving him permission to take the child or the car.
She said she “did not and would not” allow Coffman to take custody of the child, according to the warrants. The child’s guardians are Coffman’s mother and the victim.
The woman found with Coffman told police she entered the home and saw the victim lying on the living room floor. She said Coffman handed her the child and they left in the victim’s car.
She also told police she heard Coffman on the phone telling someone he thought he had killed the victim and “didn’t know if the victim was alive or dead.”
Coffman is currently being held in the Knox County Jail.
