BEDFORD — A local man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly used his own bathroom door to batter his way into a neighboring apartment, causing extensive damage inside, according to police records.
Adam Trent Shoults, 37, of Bedford, was taken into custody on preliminary charges of burglary of a dwelling, residential entry, and criminal vandalism following an investigation by the Bedford Police Department.
Bedford police officers responded to a report of forced entry at an apartment building on the 1400 block of 13th Street around 11:39 a.m. on Oct. 11. The resident reported arriving home to find his front door heavily damaged and the living room destroyed.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Officer Michael Bell, responding officers noted extensive disarray inside the victim’s apartment and discovered a detached black door inside the unit that did not belong to the victim. Investigators also observed a blood-like substance on the common area walls, on several items inside the damaged unit, and on the exterior door of a neighboring apartment.
A witness told police he saw Shoults using a black door as a battering ram against the victim’s front door during the early morning hours, according to the affidavit.
A co-resident of Shoults’ apartment identified the black door found in the victim’s home as her missing bathroom door. When police and the co-resident attempted to contact Shoults, he allegedly locked himself inside his apartment and refused to open the door, prompting officers to apply for a search warrant.
After a search warrant was signed by a judge, Shoults voluntarily exited the apartment and was taken into custody. Officers noted Shoults had lacerations to both hands and an abrasion on his elbow.
Upon executing the search warrant, investigators found Shoults’ apartment in a state of disarray, missing its bathroom door, and containing additional traces of a blood-like substance on the bedroom wall.
Shoults was transported to the Lawrence County Jail for housing. Officers Bell and Daugherty investigated the case.
Charges represent allegations. Shoults is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
