A Highland County man has been indicted in Ross County on a charge of attempted murder. According to the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office, Samuel D. Chapman, 40, of Leesburg, has been charged with a single first-degree felony count each attempted murder and kidnapping, a fourth-degree felony count of grand theft and a third-degree felony count of tampering with evidence.
The incident took place on Wednesday, April 1st of 2020. Ross County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a field in the area of State Route 104 and Stone Road to find a 76-year-old female with stab wounds to her neck and lacerations to her head and stomach.
An investigation revealed that Mr. Chapman had solicited the victim for a ride from the Riverside Valero gas station. The victim accepted Mr. Chapman’s request and while in the midst of the drive, Mr. Chapman requested the victim take him to a local gun shop. After refusing Mr. Chapman’s request, the victim stated that Mr. Chapman then pulled a knife on her and held her a knife-point. The victim then stated she drove around for a little while before the two ended up near the field at State Route 104 and Stone Road, where Mr. Chapman demanded she stop the car and exit the vehicle.
The victim informed investigators that after exiting the vehicle, Mr. Chapman began stabbing and slicing her with the knife. The victim was found to have suffered stab wounds to her neck as well as lacerations to her stomach and to the top of her head. Following the attack, Mr. Chapman is then reported to have stolen the victim’s car and taken it to a friend’s house, where he dumped it. While at the friend’s house, Mr. Chapman is said to have changed clothes and cleaned himself up, removing evidence of the attack. Due to his odd behavior, the friend told Mr. Chapman to leave the residence. Mr. Chapman acquiesced and left the home on foot.
The female victim had been able to flag down a passing motorist following the attack and emergency crews were quickly called to the scene. The woman was able to provide a description of Mr. Chapman to investigating officers, who soon located him walking along Ohio 104 near the Ross County Airport where he was taken into custody.
If convicted, Mr. Chapman faces up to eleven years in prison and a $20,000 fine for the charges of attempted murder and kidnapping. He faces up to thirty-six months and a $10,000 fine for the charge of evidence tampering, and up to eighteen months with a $5,000 fine for the charge of grand theft.
The victim passed away twenty days following the attack however it could not be determined whether her death was a result of the injuries sustained during the incident.