‘Doing God’s Work’ With a Hammer

CLAYTON, Mo. (CN) - A man attacked a 74-year-old registered sex offender with a hammer, claiming he was "doing God's work," police said.

John Joseph Huffmaster, 29, of Hazelwood, allegedly crossed the street at about 6 a.m. on June 16 to the home of his 74-year-old neighbor under the guise of asking to borrow some sugar.

When the man agreed to give him the sugar, Huffmaster walked inside the house and attacked him with a hammer, police said.

Huffmaster then called police and told them that the man was molesting a child and that he had gone there to stop it, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Police arrived, but did not find a child. They found the neighbor semi-conscious and bleeding, with multiple skull and facial fractures.

Huffmaster was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Hazelwood is 20 miles northwest of St. Louis.

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