COTTONTOWN, Tenn. -
A Sumner County grandfather was violently attacked during a home invasion early Thursday morning and his granddaughter is one of four people charged in connection to the crime.
Authorities said 69-year-old victim, Chris Steinforth awoke around 3:45 a.m. to find a woman later identified as Whitney Cartwright hiding under his bed.
"I looked under the bed and saw a leg under the bed sticking out and a piece of PVC pipe," he said. "I reached and grabbed the pipe, and a girl had a hold of the pipe, and I got it away from her."
Frightened and startled, Steinforth told Nashville's News 2 Cartwright, 20, attacked him and the two began to fight.
The man said the woman bit him in the arm and he punched her in the mouth, knocking out some of her teeth.
"She bit me there, it broke the skin," Steinforth said. "I think I am going to get blood tested."
During the struggle, another woman later identified as the Steinforth's granddaughter, struck him in the head with a brick.
"It felt terrible. [It] felt like someone hit me with a baseball bat," he said.
Somehow the Steinforth was able to stay conscious and hold down Cartwright until sheriff's deputies arrived.
Steinforth only learned his granddaughter, 22-year-old Jessica Sartor, was involved after she was arrested a short distance away.
"We have had a lot of problems and we have tried to help her," he said. "I think she has a serious mental problem because she has a child and she's into the drugs now. We were not aware of that. We are doing a lot of praying about it, that's all we can do, we tried to help her before, but she is in serious trouble now."
Two men identified as Spencer Linville, 21, and James Hoey, 20, were found in an awaiting getaway car and also arrested.
"It was drug related. It was to get money to buy drugs," Sumner County Sheriff Sonny Weatherford said. "It's sad you have to steal from your own family, but she has done this before. She has broken in before to steal items. They thought it would easy theft."
Sartor faces charges of aggravated burglary and aggravated assault.
Cartwright, Linville and Hoey are charged with aggravated burglary.
Authorities are investigating whether the group is responsible for other home break-ins in the area.
