Machete assault may have been self-defenseBy RYAN
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.NSLEY - The woodsman who allegedly covered himself in "war paint" before assaulting two men with a machete this week is a decent, well-educated man, according to locals.
Wayne Stephen Parks, 57, has been living in the wilderness here for the past five years, in a makeshift tent near the CSX tracks, the site where he allegedly "hacked" two men with a machete Tuesday night following an argument at his forest quarters.
The story in this small community is a bit different: Hunters say Parks was defending himself and his land.
"He was a good man to me," said Roy Necaise, 37. "We'd go back there and visit him all the time; he's never hurt nobody."
Necaise said his 15-year-old son would often go alone to visit Parks, whose living quarters are virtually isolated from the rest of the community. Investigators hiked more than a mile through rough country to get to his home.
Kevin LaFontaine, who also hunts deer in the same woods, said Parks would sometimes leave to get food and supplies, but that's it.
"I hunted all around him, and we've never had any problems," LaFontaine said.
Authorities believe the victims were passing through town earlier that day on a train, which often stops in the area to switch tracks.
County investigator John Luther said three men allegedly spent the day with Parks, but only two were assaulted. The men were treated for machete wounds at Han**** Medical Center.
Parks, who reportedly told police he's part Native American, was released on a $20,000 bond Wednesday and will not have to appear in court for a preliminary hearing.
Assistant District Attorney Chris Schmitt said the case would likely go to a grand jury. If Parks is indicted, Schmitt's office would prosecute the case.
Necaise, who believes it's a case of self-defense, said his son was in the woods the night of the scuffle, and that Parks shouted for his son to get out, because it wasn't safe.
"They tore his camp up, and destroyed the water and food that FEMA gave him," he said. "To me, he was defending himself, and if they did that to my house, Edmond Fahey (funeral home) would've had to come pick them up."
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