NewsCrime and Courts

Actions

Missionaries plead not guilty to charges of assault with a deadly weapon

Screen Shot 2023-01-23 at 5.13.26 PM.png
Posted at 7:19 PM, Jan 23, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-24 12:32:52-05

A group of North Carolina missionaries that got into an altercation with a man from Cameron in Madison County appeared in court on January 23, via video in Virginia City.

The incident started on November 12 with a confrontation between the self-described missionaries and Dream Drift Motel owner Brad Terrell.

Here is the dialogue from the two 911 calls:

Missionary Jesse Boyd called dispatch saying, “I'm a father with a son and daughter and we're a team walking across America. We were attacked by some locals. I was forced to pull a gun in my life and defend the life of my child," said Boyd, “I wanted to stay at the scene but they threatened to kill us if we didn't leave.”

Brad Terrell called dispatch saying, "My nose, I’ve been punched’ 'You got punched in the nose?' 'Yeah' 'Okay, and you're going to refuse medical and you don't want them to come out just look at ya? ‘No I'm fine, I'm fine,’" says Terrell "No I just got a bloody nose, I'm fine."

The missionaries claimed they were acting in self-defense, and that Terrell was threatening them. Now three of them are being charged with felony assault with a weapon and claim they were treated unfairly by the Madison County Sheriff's office.

“Initially, our charges were changed from what they call felony aggravated assault, which is what we were initially charged it was the entire basis of our incarceration. And it's that in and of itself is ludicrous when you actually hear our attacker's 911 call,” said Boyd.

The patrol car video shows the 12-year-old son of Boyd who was placed in the vehicle after his father and sister were arrested. The video then shows the deputy going back to the the motel owned by Terrell.

The deputy leaves the boy alone for nearly 10 minutes, and the boy starts to cry. The missionaries believe the deputy was talking to Terrell.

12 year old son of Boyd in Patrol car

The missionaries pleaded not guilty in court today. Brad Terrell and the Madison County Sheriff's office have yet to comment on the case. The next court date is set for March 22.


TRENDING

FOLLOW KRTV


NC missionaries facing assault charges in Montana