A business owner in Anna is recovering after he says he was attacked by a solicitor.
Kevin Daugherty, an Army veteran turned paramedic, opened Country Charm Coffee last year.
“I was a paramedic for the last 20 years, and I wanted to do something different for the next 20 years,” said Daugherty.
This past Monday was unlike any other.
Daugherty says he went to work early to do payroll and ordering.
Surveillance video shows him chatting with a customer when Daugherty says a solicitor walked in with a basket of bread.
“I ask him for his permit, his city of Anna solicitor’s permit. I ask him for it three times, and then he calls me a name and gets real belligerent, so I ask him to leave,” said Daugherty.
The encounter was recorded on surveillance cameras.
Daugherty says he calls the police as the man makes his way back to the door.
“Then he turns around and calls me some more names, more belligerent,” recalled Daugherty. “So, then we finally get him outside, and I thought it was almost over, but then he turns around, comes right back at me, and kicks the door, and then we start scuffling.”
Daugherty continued, “He seemed off because he kept asking me why I wasn’t scared of him.”
The scuffle happened out of the camera’s view and was broken up by a bystander in the parking lot. Daugherty says he drove himself to an emergency room.
Anna police say they responded to the café at about 10:50 a.m. Monday, and arrested 32-year-old Kenneth Smith.
Jail records show Smith is charged with assault causing bodily injury. It’s the same charge records show Smith was convicted of in 2015 in Grayson County. An attorney is not yet listed for Smith.
“He got me pretty good,” said Daugherty.
Daugherty says he broke a finger, dislocated his shoulder, and needed stitches in his lip.
“I’ll probably have to have surgery on my hand and on my shoulder. I’m just not as young as I used to be,” he said.
Daugherty says he’s received hundreds of messages of support and is grateful for the thousands of dollars in donations to help his recovery.
“I want to do more now for the community. As soon as I can, I’ll be back at it and I’ll give back even more,” he said, adding he wants his community to be warned about solicitors like the one he encountered.
“Just be alert. Just be aware,” he said.
Soliciting in Anna without a permit is illegal, and fines can be up to $500 for each violation.
Great Job Meredith Yeomans & the Team @ NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth Source link for sharing this story.
