WATERTOWN, N.Y. – Eleven Fort Drum soldiers burst into a fellow soldier’s home and attacked him and his wife, kicking him repeatedly and punching her in the face, authorities said Friday.
The attack late Wednesday was in retaliation for the earlier arrest of another soldier, state police said. The 11 were charged with burglary and one also was charged with second-degree assault for allegedly hitting the soldier’s wife with a bottle.
Carl Laws, 22, and his wife, Emily Hernandez, 21, were released from Samaritan Medical Center after treatment for multiple cuts and bruises.
Additional charges are possible after the case is presented to a grand jury, state police investigator Randy Pound said.
The soldier who had been arrested earlier did not take part in the attack, Pound said. That arrest stemmed from a complaint made by the couple involving the alleged violation of an order of protection, authorities said. No further details* were given.
Charged with burglary were Tyson Tucker, 20; Martin Johnson, 22; Jason Cofield, 25; Erica Hodges, 19; Shavonn Wynne, 22; Vianka DelCid, 19; Tyrone Lihpai, 22; James Skinner, 27; Carlton Causey, 28; Randi Bush, 18; and Shalota Williams, 22. Wynne was also charged with second-degree assault for allegedly hitting the soldier’s wife.
While photographs of the alleged home invaders are not available at this time, their names serve as a clue as to their ethnicity, and all follow up speculations. — editor