MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - A mother nearly beat a man to death with a baseball bat. She says she did it because the man sexually assaulted her sons, both under ten years old.
Lakeshia Richmond, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault. She posted bond Sunday morning. Richmond says the man she nearly killed is a community football coach. She claims her children weren't the only ones who were molested by the coach.
"I asked my son, did he touch you bad, did he touch you down there and my little boy said yes and I said was it just you and he said no, he touched some more kids,” Lakeshia Richmond told ABC24 News.
Richmond is referring to Coach Red. He is one of the coaches of Richmond's 8 and 9 year old sons' football team. They practice at Magnolia Elementary school in South Memphis. She says it's normal for her kids and their teammates to spend the night at one of the coach’s house but she became concerned when the head coach called her Saturday for a meeting with Coach Red. It’s only then that she said her children told her what happened.
"My 8 year old said he wanted to play hide and seek and that he (Coach Red) grabbed my 9 year old’s hand and put it on the coach’s private part and my 9 year old said, ‘no that's bad, that's nasty' and the coach said no this is what college people do,” said Richmond.
On her way to the meeting Richmond saw Coach Red in the 1800 block of Person Avenue and couldn't hold back.
"He was running away,” said Richmond. “I didn't say anything to him I just blinked out. When I saw him, I saw my kids being hurt, that’s it.”
Neighbors say Richmond chased the coach down the street to a neighbor’s carport and then started beating him with a bat.
“There was blood splattered all over my carport,” said a neighbor Jackie Woods. “She beat his head open, split his head."
Richmond says she did call police to report the coach but everything happened so fast.
“I was hoping the police made it to him before I did,” said Richmond. "He was saying he didn't do it and he was sorry. If you didn't do it why are you saying you're sorry? What are you sorry for?"
Neighbors don't believe Richmond should have been taken to jail for beating the coach.
“I probably would have beaten him too. I'm serious. I would've just lost it, really I would have,” said Woods.
"If that's truly what happened I probably would've responded the same way. I’m going to defend my family,” said another neighbor Willie Gholston.
Richmond doesn't know how long the supposed abuse has been going on but says 8 other children are saying the same story.
"They're suffering, they toss and turn at night, and they really just ain’t been sleeping because they've been scared. They were even scared to tell me. I mean I’m their mom,” stated Richmond. “If I don’t protect them then who will?"
The coach's family refused to speak with ABC24 News on camera but they did say he's innocent. He was in critical condition but is now stable now at the MED. No charges have been filed against the coach. Memphis Police are still investigating this case. Richmond is expected to be in court Monday morning.
