RICHMOND, IN — One Richmond man is accused of severely beating another over a financial dispute.
Fredrick Rodgers, 31, was charged on Tuesday, May 19, with battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison, and intimidation, a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence.
Richmond police were told a 35-year-old man living in a shed in the 600 block of South Ninth Street was attacked by Rodgers on May 24, 2025. His accuser said Rodgers struck him with a metal pipe, a piece of wood and a glass tequila bottle.
According to an affidavit, witnesses said Rodgers gave the other man cash and sent him to a store buy “liquor and cigarette rolling papers,” and he became angry when the man returned with other items.
The man said after being attacked, he was “left for dead.” He also said Rodgers threatened to harm him if he reported the beating.
The accuser was taken to Reid Hospital and later transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where he was treated for injuries including a fractured hand. A family member told police he also suffered a broken nose and other facial injuries.
Police said DNA testing linked Rodgers to a tequila bottle found at the scene of the beating.
Rodgers denied harming his accuser, court documents said. A trial date has not yet been set in the Wayne Superior Court 1 case.
In another Superior Court 1 case, filed in September, Rodgers faces charges of pointing a firearm, criminal recklessness and disorderly conduct.
Rodgers survived an August 2025 shooting in Richmond. Police said he didn’t cooperate with the ensuing investigation.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: One Richmond man accused of beating another with metal pipe, bottle
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Richmond Palladium-Item / Muncie Star Press
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