COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey
Holden-Kay on Thursday formally charged four teenagers, Zablin Jai Woodruff, Charles Abram Breedlove, Ashton Fields and Emily Franklin in connection with a kidnapping and a subsequent battery that occurred on June 2 into the early morning hours of June 3.
All four individuals were charged with robbery resulting in serious bodily injury as a Level 2 felony, kidnapping as a Level 3 felony, criminal confinement as a Level 3 felony, and aggravated battery as a Level 3 felony.
A Level 2 felony is punishable by 10-30 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 and a Level 3 felony is punishable by three to 16 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Charles Abram Breedlove, 18, of 2017 14th St., Columbus, Ashton Fields, 18, of 762 Clifty Drive – C, Columbus, and Emily Franklin, 18, of 8585 S. State Highway 3, Commiskey, are currently in custody at the Bartholomew County Jail, according to Holden-Kay.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is requesting that anyone with information about Zablin Jai Woodruff or his location, contact Bartholomew County Dispatch at (812) 379-1689.
Breedlove
Franklin
Fields
Probable cause affidavits filed in the case state the victim reported the assault on June 3 and was interviewed by sheriff deputies on that day. The victim, a 19-year-old male, had a significant amount of dried blood covering the right side of his face, a swollen and bleeding lip, a large laceration on the right side of his face, a long thin laceration across his right cheek, a neck contusion and additional cuts and scrapes on his neck and face.
The victim told deputies that Franklin had picked him up at 11:10 p.m. June 2 to get some food. The affidavit states Franklin told the victim she had to meet her sister at Skateland to give her money, but that Franklin drove past the facility and continued east on 25th Street in Columbus.
Franklin turned north on to Bonnell Road and parked in the parking lot of The Ridge Church, but then continued north on Bonnell Road, parking in front of a barn on the west side at 3460 Bonnell Road, the affidavit states.
When they arrived at the barn, the victim said Woodruff opened the passenger door, grabbed him by the neck, and dragged him out of the vehicle, according to the affidavit. The victim said Breedlove then punched him in the face, and the two dragged the victim into the barn, where three additional masked individuals were inside, according to the affidavit.
Woodruff had a knife in his hand cut the right side of the victim’s face, the affidavit states. Woodruff and Breedlove took turns with the knife attempting to cut him. Breedlove brandished a pistol from his waistband and pistol whipped him, the victim told deputies. Breedlove pointed a pistol at the victim’s head multiple times and said, “I’m going to blow your head off” and “these are your last minutes on earth” and “this is it,” the affidavit states.
The victim said a stick was used to beat him, but he did not remember who had the weapon. Woodruff held the victim down while Breedlove cut off his hair with a pair of scissors and cut his throat with the scissors, the affidavit states. Woodruff then asked the victim, “Are you thirsty,” and then began to throw liquid on his face that burned his eyes and the lacerations on his face, according to the affidavit.
Woodruff and Breedlove then grabbed the victim’s index fingers and pinky fingers and attempted to break them, the affidavit states.
Woodruff then told the victim to wait in the barn for 30 minutes, and if he left before that, the beating would continue, the affidavit states. Woodruff and Breedlove then took his sweatshirt, shoes and phone.
The victim waited in the barn for over an hour, and then ran to a nearby neighborhood and knocked at three houses where no one answered. On the fourth try, he knocked on the door of homeowner Indiana State Trooper Rick Roseberry who called for emergency medical assistance and the victim was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital.
Detectives went to the barn and found blood and human hair as evidence. Following that investigation, they spoke to the victim again, noting that the victim had a ligature mark on his throat. At that time, the victim identified Franklin, Woodruff and Breedlove as being involved, and also Fields, who is Franklin’s boyfriend, who was believed to be wearing a mask during the assault, the affidavit states.
Detectives learned through the Flock license plate reader database that Franklin’s vehicle had been in the area of 25th Street and Talley Road on late June 2 and early June 3, near the barn, the affidavit states.
On June 10, detectives were in surveillance of an apartment on Clifty Lane where Franklin and Fields lived, and observed Fields and Breedlove leaving in Franklin’s vehicle, where a traffic stop was conducted.
They were taken to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department and deputies returned to the apartment to arrest Franklin.
During the interviews, according to the affidavit, Fields said he was present and participated in the beating of the victim in the barn and the theft of his property. He also explained how his girlfriend, Franklin, had taken the victim to the barn, and had earlier transported Woodruff, Breedlove and himself to the same barn. Fields then claimed he did not harm the victim but witnessed Woodruff and Breedlove inflicting injuries, according to the affidavit.
Franklin told detectives she was asked by Woodruff and Breedlove to “set up” the victim so they could beat him up, the affidavit states. She said she transported Woodruff, Breedlove and Fields to the barn and later took the victim there, the affidavit states. She said she was instructed to leave the barn after the victim was taken out of the vehicle and she did so, according to the affidavit.
A search of the vehicle showed blood was in the interior, along with a loaded .45-caliber pistol and ammunition, two T-shirts, a knife, a wallet containing what appeared to be human hair and a receipt with the name Charles Breedlove on it, according to the affidavit.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.
