Two homeless people were injured early Wednesday morning on the 100 block of Van Buren Street when their alleged attacker forcibly took money from them, according to reports from the Zanesville Police Department and testimony from one of the victims.
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Heather Harris said she was sitting inside a home with her friend, a 58-year-old homeless man, when the two were attacked by Michael Estep.
Estep, 27, has been charged with felonious assault.
Harris said several people were sitting around peacefully inside a home, eating pizza, when Estep demanded money from the male victim. When the man took out $4, Estep continued to demand more money, Harris said. Tensions were raised, and Estep eventually attacked the victim, punching and kicking him repeatedly. When Harris stepped in to stop the attack, Estep punched her in the face and broke her nose.
During her interview Monday outside Christ's Table on Sixth Street, Harris pointed to her two black eyes and a large cut on the bridge of her nose — the damages incurred during the attack. Reports from ZPD corroborate with Harris' story.
"I've known (the other victim) for three years," Harris said. "He's legally blind. I've never known him to ever be aggressive with anyone.
He's a sweet man. Michael (Estep) must have just figured he was an easy target because he knew he had money on him."
After the attack, Estep collected cellphones and "basically held us hostage there overnight," Harris said. It wasn't until the next morning when she was allowed to leave that Harris called police and explained what had happened.
"I was scared to death, not for me but for (the other victim)," Harris said. "I didn't know if he was going to make it. He was just lying there, bleeding."
The 58-year-old Zanesville native was deemed to be in critical condition with injuries to his head, chest and leg. He was flown to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where he is listed in stable condition, medical staff there said.
Pastor Joy French runs the homeless shelter where both victims had been staying, and she described the male party as a "kind, soft-spoken man" who was known by many around town as "the man with the shopping cart."
Karen Glass has served the destitute man his meals at Christ's Table for almost four years and said he was "the sort of person who wouldn't hurt a fly."
"He's a good man," Glass said. "I'm just so upset that someone would do that to a man who is already fighting an uphill battle. We work with people every day that are down on their luck. These are good people. You can't just call these people bums. He was a good person, and for anyone to pick on someone in a weakened state — it's just wrong."
Estep has a history of violence in Zanesville. According to municipal court records, Estep has been convicted of several first-degree misdemeanors during the past decade, including assault, domestic violence, aggravated menacing, burglary and theft.
On Sunday morning, in an unrelated incident at the Disabled American Veterans center on Moxahala Avenue, a man was stabbed during an altercation that began inside the building before moving streetside, Zanesville police Doug Merry said. An arrest has been made, but no formal charges had been filed as of 4 p.m. Monday.
Interim Police Chief Kenny Miller said assaults such as these are a reminder of how violent Zanesville is becoming.
"We need to address the violence in this city," Miller said. "I don't know what's driving the violence. A lot of it is drug-related, but not all of it. We need to figure out what is."
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