Local

Blind man robbed after throat slashed

A 65-year-old blind man is shaken after someone he was trying to cloth and feed robbed him and slashed his throat.

“It's just something I feel like doing. If I can help somebody reach out,” Steven Caldwell said.

Helping others is exactly what Caldwell was doing Sunday evening when he came face-to-face with two men who attacked and robbed him inside his home.

Caldwell, who's legally blind, said he knew one of the men, David Simmons, and helped the homeless man in the past.

But he said on Sunday, Simmons and another man showed up at his home demanding $40 in cash.

“He told me I better do that or he's going to hurt me,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell refused and instead, offered the men food and a place to stay for the night.

He said that's when the situation turned ugly.

“He grabbed me by my throat and just held me around the neck,” Caldwell said. “I felt that when I gave him what they wanted they would go away.”

One of the suspects slashed Caldwell's neck with a knife and stole $100, his cellphone and even his Dictaphone that he uses to communicate with people.

Both suspects ran away but police caught Simmons at a nearby bus stop.

Caldwell was treated for lacerations to his neck but he said the attack won't stop him from helping others.

“The Lord takes care of you one way or another,” Caldwell said.

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