NEWARK, N.Y. — A 70-year-old man is in the hospital after police say a man named Brandon Watt assaulted him with a two-by-four.
News10NBC’s Erin Mahon spoke with the victim’s family and Newark police to learn what happened. The assault left Johnny White with a broken nose, broken eye socket and stitches over his ears.
“I saw him laying in that bed, and I just, it just didn’t look real to be honest,” said Giavanna White Principio, White’s daughter.
Mahon spoke with two of White’s daughters. They stayed with White overnight, taking turns to check on him in the emergency department. They mentioned over a dozen family members and friends stopped by the hospital since it admitted White. They said Watt had been harassing their father for weeks — police confirmed that’s something they’re investigating.
“My father’s 70 years old. He did not deserve this. He will give you the shirt off his back. He goes to work everyday. He loves his animals. He loves his wife — they’ve been married more than 20 years. He’s lived in Newark for 18 years and nothing like this has ever happened to my father,” said Jewel Perkins, White’s daughter.
Mahon stopped by the Newark Police Department and spoke with Chief Agustin Gonzalez. He said Watt cooperated — until he found out he was going to jail. In addition to the two second-degree assault charges, Watt faces one count of endangering the welfare of a child since police said his daughter was with him at the time of the assault. He also faces criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.
The chief said he’s not ruling out that it could be racially motivated, but in order to confirm — he needs to speak with White once he’s healthy enough to make a statement.
“There’s really still hate out there, and people really, solely, just hate cause you’re black. And that’s the sad part. The way the world is set up right now — everybody needs help, everybody needs love and everybody needs family, like we shouldn’t just be going on somebody’s property and abusing them,” Perkins said.
Police said Watt’s charges could change after speaking with White. So far, police have spoken with two witnesses, seen video evidence of the assault and spoken with Watt as part of their investigation. Watt is in custody in the Wayne County Jail, and was arraigned yesterday.
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