A 2009 Salem High School graduate, Tommie Lillpop, has been charged with criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon along with another person in New Albany who is being held on attempted murder charges.
Lillpop is charged with a level 6 felony count of criminal recklessness with deadly weapon and is being held in the Floyd Count jail on a $20,000 cash-surety bond.
Levi Eurton, 28, was arrested Sunday in connection with what has been called an attempted murder investigation. Eurton appeared in court for a second time Wednesday afternoon where new charges were announced. A second suspect, 26-year-old Tommie Lillpop, has also been charged in the case.
A preliminary attempted murder charge against Eurton has also been modified following an investigation by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department, and one other person has been charged.
Sheriff Frank Loop said the new charges come after a three-day investigation that began on July 2. Court records show that’s the day the alleged victim called police to report a battery.
The victim told police he received a text message from Lillpop — who he recently met at the Token Club — around 5 p.m. Saturday.
The victim said Lillpop asked him for a ride to a store, and he agreed.
The victim drove to where Lillpop was staying with Eurton in the 6500 block of Seven Mile Lane. When he pulled up to the house, he saw Lillpop laying in the front yard.
The victim said “that as soon as he pulled into the driveway and stopped, he was [struck] with a sawed off shotgun” by a man later identified as Eurton, according to court records.
“He went unconscious and when he woke up he was punched several more times,” Loop said. “He said that the person that did it demanded that he empty everything out of his pockets, and he did. And he was pulled out of the truck and beat[en] some more.”
Loop said during the beating, the victim was shot at with the shotgun.
The victim also said Eurton threatened to kill him and his family if he reported the beating. Loop said the victim went unconscious again, and when he woke up, nobody was around.
“And he got back in his truck and his money, wallet and cell phone and all that stuff was thrown back in the truck. And he left and went to the hospital and he called police,” Loop said.
The victim sustained “excessive swelling,” bruising and scratch marks to his face, according to court documents. The victim also complained of “extreme pain” and being unable to hear out of his left ear. A two-inch in diameter hole was discovered in the passenger side of the victim’s truck and fragments from a shotgun slug were found inside the truck.
The victim was shown a photo of a six-person lineup and identified Eurton as the man who assaulted him. On Monday, investigators interviewed Eurton. He told police “some guy” showed up to his house and he assumed the man was there to pick up Lillpop so she could buy drugs.
“Eurton was mad about this,” court records state.
Eurton told police he exited the house with a shotgun, placed it on the hood of the man’s truck and started to beat the victim through the driver’s side window. At one point, Lillpop grabbed the shotgun and fired it, Eurton said. The victim left and Lillpop “walked off somewhere with the gun,” he added.
Loop said investigators believe Lillpop was laying in the driveway as a distraction so the two could rob the victim. Lillpop is now charged with a level 6 felony count of criminal recklessness with deadly weapon and is being held in the Floyd Count jail on a $20,000 cash-surety bond.
Eurton is charged with level 5 felony counts of intimidation and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, and a level 6 felony count of criminal recklessness. The level 5 felonies have a sentencing range between one to six years and a level 6 felony has a range between six and 30 months. Eurton is also being charged as an habitual offender, which means an additional two to six years could be added on to the sentencing for any charge he’s found guilty of.
At the time of the alleged incident, Eurton was on probation for a 2014 theft conviction. His probation in that case was previously revoked in April after he was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving while suspended. His earliest release date for that violation was Saturday, according to online court records. The charging information lists two other felony convictions on Eurton’s record.
Eurton is being held in the Floyd County jail on a $50,000 cash-surety bond.
