Local man in serious condition following attack at his home

For one local resident's family are saying, a terrible tragedy has been magnified by unanswered questions.

According to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, on Saturday evening, an altercation of which the specifics are currently unknown, took place at the residence of Frank Hereford, 85, Fort Scott.

During the fight, Hereford reportedly received extensive injuries. When Hereford's family members discovered his wounds, they immediately transported him to Mercy Health Center for treatment. The injuries were serious enough that the hospital life-flighted Hereford to Overland Park Regional Medical Center where he remained in the intensive care unit in stable condition as of press time Monday.

According to Becky Canady, Hereford's daughter, on Saturday her father conducted an auction at his house. After the auction was over, Hereford's friend Lonnie Moore and Hereford sat outside drinking beer and visiting.

Canady said she left her father with Moore while she drove into Fort Scott. Canady said her son later called on her cell phone and said Hereford was lying in the drive-way.

"My son called me and said, 'I found Grandpa in the drive way. He's got blood all over him,'" Canady said.

After returning to her home, Canady said she was shocked by how badly Hereford had been beaten. She said his face was beaten so badly that he was unrecognizable. Canady's boyfriend held Hereford's head in his lap while Canady drove to the hospital.

"There was so much blood," Canady said. "We could hear him gurgling. It would scare anyone who looked at him. He was so mutilated."

Canady later found out just how extensive her father's injuries were. Doctors explained to her that every bone from Hereford's nose to his left ear was fractured. Even his dentures which were inside his mouth were broken. Hereford's injuries were so severe that a Chaplain was called into his room to say a prayer before Mercy Hospital placed him in the life flight, according to Canady.

"I am shocked he is still alive," Canady said.

Although seeing her father's condition was shocking, Canady said his condition is not the only reason she is upset.

Since Hereford was with Moore when Canady left the house, she said she wanted to know if Moore knew what had happened. Moore's son, who was with Canady's son during the incident, called his house looking for his father. He was informed by his step-mother that Bourbon County Sheriff's Deputy Cindy Gillispie and her husband had driven Moore home, according to Canady.

When asked about the incident, Gillispie said she had received a call about cows running loose in the county. While investigating the cows, Gillispie discovered a red truck sitting along the side of the road. Upon further examination, Gillispie said she discovered Moore lying in the vehicle. He was bloody, Gillispie said.

"He told me he got beat up at Frank Hereford's house," said Gillispie.

Gillispie said she thought Moore had been drinking and driving when she first discovered him. However, she could not find his car keys. After searching through the vehicle, Moore's keys were found in the back of the truck indicating Moore had not been using them to drive the vehicle. Since there was no DUI involved, Gillispie said she asked her husband to drive Moore home in Moore's truck.

Canady reported that later the same day, Gillispie came to the hospital to check on Hereford. When Canady inquired about Moore, Gillispie denied ever seeing him, Canady said. According to Canady, the Deputy denied even knowing where Moore lived. Canady added Gillispie did nothing to investigate the incident. It was not until she contacted a local attorney, that any investigation into her father's beating began, Canady said.

"There was blood in the driveway and she (Gillispie) did nothing except lie to us."

According to Gillispie, when asked by Moore's son at the hospital if she had driven his father home, she denied driving Moore to his house. However, Gillispie said in a phone interview that she did follow the red truck to Moore's house because she needed to pick her husband up. Gillispie said no one at the hospital asked her if she knew where Moore lived.

After leaving the hospital, Gillispie said she began her investigation returning to Moore's house and collecting the bloody clothing he had been wearing. Later, she received a telephone call from County Attorney Terri Johnson advising her to secure the crime scene at Hereford's house.

"Terri said the scene needed to be covered," Gillispie said. "I told her I couldn't do it because I was the only one on duty. She (Terri) said call for Ron (Undersheriff Ron Gray). So, I did."

Gillispie said she did go to Hereford's house and waited until Gray arrived to secure the scene.

According to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, when Gray became aware of the situation, he decided to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigations and ask for their assistance due to the extent of Hereford's injuries and several other variables in the case.

Gillispie said she is helping with the on-going investigation.

"I met with KBI and went on with the investigation," Gillispie said. "It is my case. We did it under my case number. It is still under investigation. At this point, we have two victims. Lonnie Moore indicated he had been at Hereford's farm when he got beat up."

Currently, the case is under investigation by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, the KBI and the Fort Scott Police Department. However, Bourbon County Sheriff Harold Coleman said he could not confirm nor deny an internal investigation into the way deputies handled the incident.