The suspect in an assault with a baseball bat last summer, that left a Greene County man with serious injuries, is in custody. A warrant was issued a year ago for the arrest of Russell J. Lyttaker, now 41, but he fled the area and the state. Lyttaker then wound up in jail in Missouri and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department picked him up yesterday, Wednesday, June 30, and transported him back to Greene County to face charges of aggravated battery – assault posed a substantial risk of death, a Level 3 felony, and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony. Lyttaker was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:01 p.m. He is currently being held without bond. GCSD Det. David Elmore was the arresting officer.

This story will be updated after Lyttaker appears in court.

The earlier story about the incident is included below.

Story posted on GreeneStreets a year ago, on July 2, 2020:

Wanted: Suspect in aggravated assault with a baseball bat

A warrant is out for the arrest of a 40-year-old male suspect from Denver accused of an assault with a baseball bat that left a Greene County man seriously injured with skull fractures, a brain bleed, a ruptured spleen, broken wrist and loss of hearing.  

Russell J. Lyttaker, 40, with a home address in Denver, Colorado, is wanted on a warrant for his arrest that was issued on June 23 out of Greene Circuit Court by Judge Erik Allen who specified that when Lyttaker is in custody, he be held without bond pending his appearance in court for an initial hearing.

The case was filed by Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw following an investigation by Detective Shawn Cullison and Deputy Jordan Gooding of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

Lyttaker is wanted on preliminary charges of aggravated battery – assault posed a substantial risk of death, a Level 3 felony, and battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony.

Det. Cullison, the lead investigator, said dispatch received a call around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, about an assault that occurred at a residence on West County Road 400 North in the Linton area. Deputy Gooding and Officer Kyle Robison of the Linton Police Department arrived on the scene first, followed by Det. Cullison.

When they arrived, they learned Lyttaker and his girlfriend had been there but had left after Lyttaker allegedly battered one man and one woman with a baseball bat. The woman was hit in the ankle and was not reported to have required medical attention. The man was hit in the head and seriously injured – he was in an ambulance when the officers arrived. Deputy Gooding wanted to talk to him on the scene, but the victim was moaning in pain, EMTs were caring for him and he was unable to speak to the deputy. The man was transported to the hospital then transferred to Regional Hospital in Terre Haute with multiple skull fractures.

In interviews on the scene and later, the woman who was hit said Lyttaker was from Colorado and she knew him only through his girlfriend who lived around Greene County several years ago and had been a friend. Lyttaker and his girlfriend had arrived at the residence in two vehicles and were there the night before. Others were there as well and the girlfriend was flirting back and forth with one of the men present, but not the victim.

The others who were there had left or gone to sleep and the male victim and the woman who was hit (they were boyfriend-girlfriend) were in a bedroom sleeping with the door shut when Lyttaker busted in and started swinging a baseball bat, hitting her in the left ankle. She said he then hit the victim repeatedly with the bat. Deputies said there was blood on the bed and the wall. Lyttaker’s girlfriend allegedly stood in the doorway and witnessed this attack. Lyttaker and his girlfriend then went outside and left after learning police had been called.

When asked why Lyttaker would do this, the woman said Lyttaker said something along the lines of “You shouldn’t have done that to my girl.” But she said she didn’t see the victim flirting with Lyttaker’s girlfriend and when the victim was interviewed later, he said he had just been talking to Lyttaker the night before and didn’t know why he did this.

The detective and deputy interviewed everyone who was at the house the night before or during the attack and the details are included in a probable cause affidavit.

The residence was equipped with a video surveillance system and the officers are in possession of the system, along with a baseball bat with red stains that has been sent to an Indiana State Police lab, and items Lyttaker and his girlfriend left behind outside the residence, including notebooks, photos, smoking devices and small baggies with white powder residue, several old license plates and trash.

Det. Cullison talked briefly with the victim while he was in the hospital then more at length later in June after he was released. Det. Cullison said the victim, at that time, was unsteady on his feet, had to be helped down steps, and was having some problems speaking. The victim told Det. Cullison the doctors said he had a skull fracture, a brain bleed, a broken wrist and his spleen was ruptured. He couldn’t feel the left side of his face and he lost hearing in his left ear. He said the doctors didn’t know if his hearing in that ear would come back or not.

Lyttaker and his girlfriend were driving two vehicles when they left, one a van that had been spray painted black with a blue peace symbol on the back, the other a black four-door Mazda passenger car.

It is not known if they are in the area or may have left the state, and the warrant remains outstanding.

Anyone with information on Lyttaker’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Department at 812-384-4411.