Bloomington Police arrested a man Thursday on preliminary charges of attempted murder and robbery.
Police and an ambulance were dispatched to a residence on the 900 block of S. Rogers street at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday morning, where a male said he was the victim of a robbery, according to a news release from the BPD.
James Connell, 43, was arrested Thursday afternoon following an altercation that left a victim bloodied and in the hospital.
The victim, age 55, had injuries to his head, face, chest and throat.
The victim said he had allowed a transient individual to stay with him and had offered him work so he could save money for a bus ticket to Cincinnati, Ohio.
He then stated that he had been drinking with the individual and could not remember much past 1 a.m.
When he awoke the next morning, he was covered in blood and realized the transient individual was gone and that money was missing from his wallet.
Due to the amount of blood on his face, he had trouble seeing and took a shower in an effort to wash off the blood. It was determined that the blood came from a large cut above his eye.
Police found a hammer near the victim’s chair and believe that is the weapon used in the attack and the cause of the victim’s injuries to the head, face and chest.
The injury to his neck area may have been caused by a knife or some type of cutting instrument.
The victim was then transferred to IU Health Bloomington Hospital before being taken to an Indianapolis hospital. He is expected to recover.
The suspect was later determined to be Connell, who was located at a residence in the 100 block of Kennedy Court following a communication with someone there via his Facebook page.
He was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant from Ripley County, Indiana.
Officers noted that Connell had blood on his jeans, which have been seized for evidence.
He was transported to the Monroe County Jail and booked on both charges.
The case is under investigation.
Holly Hays
