Soldier arrested in beating of homeless man

April 29, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Authorities in North Carolina on Wednesday arrested a soldier who is accused with three other men of assaulting a homeless man in Ohio just because they wanted to beat someone up.

Spc. Travis D. Condor, stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and the other men — Pvt. Riley Feller, Michael Hesson and an unidentified suspect — had been drinking when one of them suggested that they go out and “kick somebody’s butt,” Cincinnati police have said.

The homeless man, John Johnson, had been sleeping at his encampment under a bridge April 10, when the men beat him with a baseball bat and pipe and cursed at him, police said. Johnson, 52, suffered a fractured cheekbone and had cuts and bruises over his body.

Hesson, a 24-year-old civilian, lives in the Cincinnati area, and police say the other three suspects apparently were in town for the weekend and got together with him and other friends before the beating.

Condor, a native of Savannah, Ga., was arrested on the base at Fort Bragg, said Maj. Brian Fickel, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division.

Condor, 25, will be transferred to the custody of civilian authorities, Fickel said. Ohio authorities were seeking extradition to return Condor to Cincinnati to face a charge of felonious assault.

Feller, who is based at Fort Knox in Kentucky, waived extradition earlier Wednesday and was to be returned to Cincinnati to face a charge of felonious assault, authorities said. Feller, 24, is from Union, Ky., according to the Army.

Hesson was the first of the suspects to be arrested on a charge of felonious assault. He was released on bond Tuesday.

Police initially said the fourth suspect was believed to be stationed at Fort Bragg, but Cincinnati Detective Kristen Shircliff said Wednesday that authorities were having trouble locating him and that he might not be stationed there.

Condor and Feller served in Iraq, military officials said.

Condor is an infantryman assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in June 2008 after initial training at Fort Benning, Ga., Fickel said. Condor returned from a year of deployment in Iraq in November.

Feller served a year in Iraq while he was with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg.