A mom who beat her son’s alleged heroin dealer, with a baseball bat, has been found guilty of third-degree assault. Sherrie Gavan, of Jefferson County, Missouri, contends that it was a desperate attempt to curb a heroin addiction, that nearly destroyed her son.
Clayton Gavan, age 18, has now been clean for over one year, and is preparing for high school graduation. However, Sherrie details his recovery as a long, and difficult, battle.
As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch , Sherrie struggled for months to help her son overcome his addiction . Even sending him to live with family in another town, and enrolling him in a different school, did not help
Sherri eventually learned that her son was obtaining the drugs from 22-year-old Joshua Loyd. As she desperately tried to find help for her son, Loyd reportedly continued providing him with heroin.
As she felt she was out of options, Sherri confronted Loyd outside his home on December 20, 2011, striking him with a baseball bat.
The mom never denied beating her son’s alleged heroin dealer with the baseball bat, in fact she openly admits what she did. She asserts that she did it as an attempt to save her son’s life.
As reported by CBS St. Louis , Sherri was charged with assault for the attack. The third-degree assault charge is punishable with up to one year in jail .
Assistant Jefferson County Prosecutor, Jacob Costello, urged members of the jury to make their decision based on the facts of the case, and the law, not emotion. Costello contends that while Sherri was understandably upset with Loyd, she had no right to take the law into her own hands.
One point that may have influenced the decision of the jury, involved a previous encounter between Sherri and Loyd. On the evening before the assault, Sherrie reportedly went to Loyd’s home and threatened his parents. Josh Loyd’s father Steve testified that Sherri advised them that she would harm Josh, if he did not stay away from her son.
Loyd and his family maintain that he is not a drug dealer.
Gavan is convinced that he is. She maintains that she beat her son’s heroin dealer with a baseball bat in an attempt to save his life. She states that her “son is alive.” To her, that is more important than her own freedom.
[Image via Flickr ]