LIBERTY COUNTY, TX- On Saturday, around 10:40 p.m. Cleveland Police Department Officer J. Arnett responded to 610 Easy Street in reference to a physical disturbance. CPD Communications said there were multiple people fighting.
Officer Arnett arrived and made contact with a man later identified as Ray Easley, who was believed to be involved in the reported disturbance. Easley told Officer Arnett he’d gone to his mother-in-law’s house to check on his daughter. Easley denied being in a fight, and refused to cooperate with officer Arnett any further. CPD Officer J. Skipworth responded to assist Officer Arnett. Although the Officers had initially responded to a reported outdoor brawl, they arrived to find almost everyone had scattered, hiding inside the house or running away from the location. There was no longer anyone on location who wanted to file a complaint.
Officer Arnett made spoke with a woman who was at the residence Easley was visiting, and she said Easley was protecting himself from a man she identified as “Sean”. She said Sean returned a vehicle he had borrowed from another friend named Benny. The woman said Sean was drunk, and started arguments with other family members and friends on location. Despite the woman saying to Easley was only protecting himself from a drunk, he went to jail because he had outstanding warrants through the City of Cleveland for No Divers License, and Failure to Appear.
While at the police department processing Easley, Officers were notified that there were bout 10 men walking toward the home where the reported altercation occurred. Officers returned to the home on Easy Street, and the woman they’d earlier spoken with said someone called her saying 10 men were headed that way. The caller, she said, told her he had a gun and was going to “shoot up” the home. He further stated he didn’t care whether kids were there, she said.
The Officers then found a large group of men a short distance from the home. They told Officers they were looking for the person or people who “jumped Sean”. They claimed Sean was jumped and severely injured by three or four men, and had been taking to a local emergency room for treatment.
Officer Arnett left the scene and drove to the hospital, where he found “Sean”, who was later identified as 39-year-old Ledarran Deshaun Hines, was receiving medical care for injuries consistent with a physical attack, as described. His face was obviously swollen, with both eyes swelled shut, and was in and out of consciousness. The hospital staff said his injuries were potentially life-threatening, with a possible skull fracture. Because of the severity of Hines’s injuries, Officers were unable to get a statement from him. However, the ER staff told Officers he said he was stomped and kicked by multiple people before he was dropped off at the hospital.
Officer Arnett left the hospital and returned to Easy Street, where he spoke with additional witnesses, who were more cooperative by then. They said Hines began arguing with Easley, “Benny” and another unknown man, and was knocked to the ground.
The “Benny” person had multiple lacerations on his right hand that looked fresh. When asked how his hand was injured, he claimed it occurred at work. Benny also had a significant amount of blood on his shoes. He eventually said he was “just trying to break it up. Based on his injuries and additional witnesses saying he assaulted Hines, Benny was taken into custody.
“Benny” was identified as Benny Dewayne Redmon, 28, of Shepherd. Redmon is charged with second-degree felony Aggravated Assault Causes Serious Bodily Injury, He was booked into the Liberty County Jail, with bond set at $25,000. Redmon has since posted bond and been released.
Since the incident, the victim’s condition has been described as “stable” with serious injuries that aren’t life-threatening.