Suspect arrested after attacking Crestline grandmother with baseball bat
Investigators found the man who allegedly beat a Crestline grandmother who helped him after he claimed he had just been robbed.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department tracked Erik Eduardo Navarro, 26, to Cleveland County, Oklahoma and extradited him back to California to face charges.
Deputies booked him on several charges, including battery, assault, robbery and elder abuse.
Described as a kind-hearted woman who always tried to help others, Therese Garcia welcomed Navarro into her home after he told the 71-year-old grandmother that someone had stolen all of his belongings while he was camping and that he had an upcoming job interview at a nearby hardware store.
Family members said Garcia cooked for him every night and believed that he had just fallen on hard times and needed help. Her opinion of Navarro changed after several days when he became demanding and slowly took over her home.
"He was there a total of six days, and he started, kind of, making demands," daughter Abbie Garcia said. "He wasn't really helping with any of the things that he agreed to in the beginning."
After she asked him to leave her home, Navarro allegedly waited until Garcia fell asleep at night before ruthlessly attacking her with a metal baseball bat.
"That night, when she was sleeping on the couch, he just started beating her with a metal baseball bat," Abbie Garcia said.
Relatives said Navarro beat Garcia for hours, taking breaks when she lost consciousness and hitting her every time she woke up.
"He just kept beating her until he finally thought she was dead," Abbie Garcia said.
Garcia's family said he ran off with her phone, credit cards, keys and e-bike before deputies arrived.
Deputies found the severely injured Garcia after neighbors asked for a welfare check. While her condition stabilized after the attack, Doctors treated her for a traumatic brain injury, brain bleed and multiple deep lacerations that required extensive stitches.
