'Wasp spray into the victim's wounds': Man beat grandfather with golf clubs and kept him captive in basement, police say

Joshua Ragan

Background: A street in the area of the 3300 block of Covington Road in Davenport, Iowa (Google Maps). Inset: Joshua Ragan (Scott County Sheriff”s Office).

A man is in jail in Iowa after allegedly attacking his grandfather with golf clubs and spraying wasp repellent into his wounds.

Joshua Ragen, 38, faces a slew of charges, including assault while participating in a felony, three counts of possessing a firearm as a felon, and willful injury – all felonies. He also faces the misdemeanor charges of assault with intent, false imprisonment, and older individual assault, per the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect was arrested by police officers in Davenport on Monday. He is being held on a $25,000 secured bond.

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At about 1:45 p.m. that day, police arrived to a home on the 3300 block of Covington Drive in Davenport, on the Illinois border some 170 miles west of Chicago, due to a report of a domestic disturbance, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by NBC-affiliate KWQC.

Officers are said to have found a 71-year-old man in the home’s basement with cuts to his head and body as well as blunt force trauma. The man reportedly told authorities that his grandson – Ragan – had hit him in the back of the head and pushed him over – and then struck him repeatedly in the head and body with golf clubs.

That wasn’t all, according to the affidavit also obtained by Fox affiliate KLJB. Ragan allegedly “sprayed wasp spray into the victim’s wounds while he was injured on the floor of the basement, telling the victim he was going to kill him and threatening to (electrocute) him.” The suspect also is said to have grabbed three guns inside the house and disabled his grandfather’s phone so he couldn’t call for help.

Ragan reportedly admitted to hitting his grandfather with golf clubs and spraying him with wasp repellent after being detained. It is unclear what his alleged motive might have been. The grandfather was taken to a hospital with injuries to his face, ribs, and wrist, and required stitches on his head.

The suspect has a preliminary hearing in Scott County court scheduled for Aug. 8, KLJB reported.

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