An employee of a business west of Bloomfield received serious injuries when he was beaten with a club Wednesday night. GCSD has been investigating and the Greene County Prosecutor filed criminal charges yesterday. A warrant is out for the arrest of the suspect – whereabouts unknown.   

Scott Douglas Stahl, 43, Bloomfield, is wanted on a warrant for his arrest that was issued yesterday, Thursday, March 25. Stahl was not apprehended yesterday or today as of late afternoon. Stahl may be in hiding or may be on the run. Anyone with information about his whereabouts may contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Department by calling 812-384-4411.

On Wednesday night, at approximately 8:55 p.m., Deputy Cameron Frye was dispatched to Stahl’s Quality Meats located on South County Road 275 West, a rural location west of Bloomfield, where a battery with injury had been reported. Dispatch advised that Scott Stahl had allegedly gone into the business and hit a male employee in the head with a baseball bat, later described as a club, then left the property in a camouflage-colored truck.

When Deputy Frye arrived at the business, several people were outside, including the injured employee who was wearing a long white coat which was covered in blood on the left shoulder and running down the coat.

Deputy Frye reported the left side of the victim’s head had lacerations with blood coming out and three lacerations on his face. One was above his nose and left eye and stretched down between his left eye and nose. Another under his left eye was swelling and a third was at the left corner of his left eye and eyebrow. His entire face was swelling.

An ambulance was summoned and arrived to give medical aid to the victim.

GCSD Detective Shawn Cullison also arrived on the scene to assist with the investigation.

EMS personnel who evaluated the victim determined he needed to be transported to Terre Haute Regional Hospital for his injuries including possible bleeding inside his skull. An update on his condition has not been released.

Before transport, Deputy Frye was able to talk to the victim who said the attack occurred in a room at the back of the building where he was working at a meat grinder, grinding hamburger. He said he did not see Stahl coming because his back was turned away from the door. He said Stahl hit him with a club.

Deputy Frye noted there was a large amount of ground beef in a container near the grinder and several areas with blood on the floor, along with the man’s glasses that were broken during the attack. The weight of the ground beef was estimated to be over 100 pounds, valued at around $500. The man had fallen against the container during the attack and it was deemed to be contaminated.

When Deputy Frye conducted initial interviews with three witnesses on the scene, they confirmed the attack and were able to add details. One male witness said Stahl had, “barged in the front door, went by me, I seen he had something in his hand, and attacked him while he was grinding meat, beat the shit out of him.”  He also said that Stahl “came in just faster than hell” and that he’d seen Stahl run by him out of the corner of his eye and by the time he got turned around and looked, Stahl was attacking the victim.

Three other individuals also confirmed the story and said they too witnessed the attack. One of those others said he was standing at one of the counters in the same room as the victim. He said he had his back to the door and did not see Stahl come in but when the attack started, he thought the victim had fallen but when he looked, he saw Stahl beating the victim. He said Stahl came up on the victim’s back side.

When asked why the employee was targeted and what might have provoked the attack, one witness said they’d been having problems since the business owner, Christopher Stahl, had been in the hospital. Christopher Stahl was not present during this incident. Scott Stahl and Christopher Stahl are brothers. The witness and the victim (when Deputy Frye talked to him before transport) said the victim had been in an argument with the father of the brothers over an unrelated issue in the past. On the scene, it was unclear exactly what provoked the attack but the investigation is ongoing.

In a later interview with Det. Cullison, one of the witnesses added that Stahl was beating the victim with a wooden club then turned around to leave but turned back and hit the victim four or five more times in the head.

When Deputy Frye and Det. Cullison viewed video footage from surveillance cameras outside and in the front door area, they reported seeing Stahl enter the front door wearing a blue shirt, blue jeans and boots with a blue-gray coat, walking fast toward the back room. A short time later, Stahl walks fast out of the building. Stahl was carrying a wooden club-like instrument in his left hand. He left the parking area in a camo-color pickup truck.

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw filed criminal charges against Stahl in Greene Circuit Court yesterday, Thursday, March 25, and the warrant was issued.

Stahl will be charged with five counts:

• Burglary with a deadly weapon, a Level 2 felony,

• Aggravated battery – an assault that posed a substantial risk of death, a Level 3 felony,

• Battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, and

• Two counts of criminal mischief, both are Class B misdemeanors.

Stahl has another criminal case pending against him. He was arrested in late February by Bloomfield Deputy Marshal Wayman JR Blazier after a domestic incident. During an initial hearing, Stahl was formally charged with strangulation, a Level 6 felony; domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a Level 6 felony; and domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor. His bond was set at $5,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $500 and was released.

For more information and details about the previous arrest, find the earlier post on GreeneStreets by clicking on the Tag below this story for “Scott Douglas Stahl.”