Joe Lewis Rose, Jr.

CLAYPOOL — A Claypool man was recently arrested after beating a man and threatening to kill him while asking if he was adopted.

Joe Lewis Rose, Jr., 54, 105 E. Section St., Claypool, is charged with domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony; possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor.

On March 1, an officer with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting at a residence. Upon arriving at the scene, officers received consent to search the residence from the homeowner, who was in the back of an ambulance receiving treatment.

According to court documents, inside the residence, officers found a silver .38 caliber Taurus revolver with a brown handle, as well as bloodied clothes and pillows. Officers also found two glass smoking pipes and a green plastic bottle cap that all tested positive for methamphetamine. The drug paraphernalia was found in a bedroom belonging to Rose.

One of the officers interviewed the homeowner, who said he was watching television when Rose demanded to know if he was adopted. According to the homeowner, every time he responded no, Rose punched him. The homeowner also said Rose grabbed him by the throat and began choking him. Rose allegedly beat the man in the head and kicked him. At one point, Rose grabbed the man by the throat and said, “Tell me the truth or I’m going to kill you.”

Later that evening, while the homeowner went to his bedroom to go to sleep, Rose entered the room, got on top of him, grabbed a pillow and started to smother the man. Rose eventually stopped and allowed the man to leave the bedroom and enter the living room. Rose then confronted the man again and told him he was going to kill him. The homeowner then grabbed a gun from the side pocket of his chair and allegedly fired the gun at Rose.

On March 5, Rose was interviewed about the incident. Rose said he confronted the man about being adopted and admitted to hitting him, saying that he was “trying to beat the truth out of him.” Rose also admitted to attempting to smother the man with a pillow and threatening to kill him. Rose admitted that the methamphetamine and pipes found in the residence belonged to him and that he smoked meth a couple of days prior to the incident.

The homeowner was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital. He sustained severe bruising to his face and his ear was severely bruised and bleeding. The man also had a swollen and significantly bruised foot, bruised ribs and cuts on his arms.

Rose was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on March 6, with an $11,000 surety and cash bond.