An Atlanta man was convicted Friday in Chattanooga for holding a family hostage and brutally beating some family members during a home invasion.
A jury found Frederick Anderson, 46, guilty of two counts of aggravated kidnapping, robbery, burglary and using a weapon during the commission of a felony for the June 10, 2010 incident in which witnesses said he, among other things, pistol-whipped an elderly woman on oxygen.
According to The Chattanoogan, one of the victims, Amanda Schmidt testified earlier in the trial that Anderson entered her home in the East Lake suburb and pulled her mother to the ground, yanking her away from her oxygen tank and hitting her in the face with his handgun.
Schmidt told the court he also hit her with his pistol and stomped on her neck and back when she tried to use her phone to call for help, and later found her 11-year-old brother using the phone and knocked the boy unconscious.
Anderson was reportedly caught later in an abandoned home with two of the cell phones from the Schmidt homes, which had been used to make calls to Atlanta. Police also reportedly found duct tape similar to the type that had been used to bind the family.
Anderson could face between 25 and 40 years in prison. He will be sentenced in December and remains in the Hamilton County Jail in Chattanooga.
About the Author
