(COLDWATER) - A money dispute is now at the center of a violent Kinderhook Township assault case that left a 27-year-old man in a medically induced coma, according to court documents.
Branch County authorities say 64-year-old Jeffery Clyde Badgley has now been formally charged with felony aggravated assault after investigators say he struck Eduardo Castro-Lugo multiple times with a baseball bat on East Southern Road early Monday morning.
Court records say Badgley initially told deputies he only used his fists, but later admitted to using the bat. Investigators later recovered a bloody baseball bat from a basement closet during a search of his Huss Lea Lane home.
Castro-Lugo was rushed to a Kalamazoo hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for severe cerebral hemorrhaging and remains in critical condition.
Following arraignment Tuesday, Badgley remains held on a $500,000 bond.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for April 16th, with a preliminary examination set for April 23rd.