Shawn Lee Jefferson

KOSCIUSKO — Indiana State Police raided a Fort Wayne home on Monday, Feb. 5, which led to the arrest of a Pierceton man.

Shawn Lee Jefferson, 40, 1840 S. 500 E., Pierceton, was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail for criminal confinement, body attachment and failure to appear.

According to WPTA 21 in Fort Wayne, Jefferson was wanted in Wabash County for driving while suspended. He was also wanted in Whitley County for probation violation for attempting to manufacture meth, resisting law enforcement, driving while suspended, reckless driving and failure to stop after an accident.

On Dec. 19, 2017, Kosciusko County officers received a call from an individual who was driving behind a vehicle and witnessed its trunk coming open. The individual saw a man in the trunk bleeding from the head. Officers searched the area but did not find the vehicle.

A few hours later, the Noble County Sheriff’s Department received a call of a male subject bleeding from the head on a roadway.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the male subject went to Jefferson’s residence to meet with Heather Hersha, who had invited him over. The subject said he believed Hersha lured him to go to Jefferson’s residence, as she had told him that Jefferson wasn’t home.

When the subject walked into Jefferson’s residence, he was attacked by two men and they attempted to knock him unconscious. The male subject was struck with an object that he thinks was a baseball bat.

Jefferson jumped on top of the male subject and started fighting with him. He had his fingers in the subject’s mouth, pulling on his cheek. The male subject bit Jefferson’s finger off. A third male present at the scene, Freddy Roberts, said he had a gun, which caused the male subject to stop fighting.

The male subject was forced to take everything out of his pockets. Hersha then tied him up, but the subject was able to get free.

He attempted to escape through a window, but Jefferson, Hersha, and Roberts got him down on the floor. Jefferson then struck the subject in the eye with a baseball bat. The male subject said the fight started around 1 a.m. and lasted until about 6 a.m.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, the subject said that Jefferson and Hersha put him in a trunk and drove him around to various places for several hours.

Jefferson and Hersha drove to a wooded area and parked there. The male subject saw Jefferson pouring liquid on the trunk of the car, and he believed Jefferson was going to light the car on fire. The male subject was aware of another vehicle in the area. Hersha told the subject to wait five minutes to get out of the trunk. He heard a vehicle drive away, so he left the trunk and ran to the roadway.

The subject sustained several injuries, including a swollen face, broken nose, black eye and a bite mark on his chest.

Officers obtained a search warrant for Jefferson’s residence, finding blood all over the floor. According to the affidavit of probable cause, officers spoke with Jefferson, who admitted to a fight between the subject and himself.

Jefferson was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail with a $24,737.40 surety and cash bond.