MARSHALL COUNTY, MS (abc24.com) - More information is coming out in a vicious and puzzling attack on a teenager in Marshall County.
Charles Hardeman was almost killed last month, tied to a concrete block and thrown in a lake to drown. His home was then set on fire, and destroyed.
Deputies arrested two men for the crime, but never explained the motive. Now new details and new suspects are emerging, suggesting it was all over money.
The Marshall County Sheriff's Department is just now releasing those details on why the attack happened. Deputies have been hesitant to talk because there are still two suspects on the loose.
"We don't exactly know why it went to the extent it did, but believe the motive is robbery," Major Kelly McMillen tells abc24.com.
McMillen says the 18-year-old high school senior had been saving up.
"He was thinking as far as graduation, just having money. He'd gotten out and worked. Maybe the wrong person heard about it."
Now his money is gone, and Charles was hospitalized for nearly three weeks.
"He sustained pretty sufficient blunt trauma to the head and his left arm and his walking ability," McMillen says.
On April 11, Charles was tied to a concrete block and thrown in a lake. Somehow he freed himself and drove for help, only to have a stroke and crash into a tree.
"He's going to get better and he's going to be able to tell us what happened to him. He ain't going nowhere," said mom Tammie Hardeman, when Charles was on life support at The MED.
Against all odds, he did get better and was released two days ago.
"Charles gave us a very detailed statement of what happened," McMillen adds.
That led to the arrest of two men last week. Kevin Schrock and Gregory Jenkins are charged with armed robbery, arson, aggravated assault and kidnapping.
Deputies won't say what Charles told them or how he knows the men, but they're looking for more suspects.
"We believe there are two more involved. We are just trying to work it to our fullest to make sure we've done all we can do to prosecute this to the max."
McMillen isn't releasing any names of the other suspects just yet.
Doctors say Charles is expected to make a full recovery, though he has months of physical therapy ahead of him.
