Man sentenced for beating elderly woman, dog during home invasion

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A Columbus County man was sentenced to prison for a home invasion that left an elderly woman and her dog hurt.

Nathaniel Keith McPherson was sentenced in court on Friday to nearly five years in prison for assault of an elderly woman. He also was sentenced to three years of supervised probation with a 6 to 17 months suspended sentence for cruelty to animals which will go into effect after McPherson serves his prison sentence. He was also ordered to perform 200 hours of community service at an animal shelter.

On January 8th, 2019 the Columbus County Sheriff’s Department responded to a burglary call at an address on Andrew Jackson Highway. McPherson broke into the home of a 63-year-old elderly woman between the hours of 10:10 p.m. and 11:43 p.m. Evidence showed that the victim was in her bedroom while her husband was in the living room. McPherson and an accomplice, Tamagea J. Gilliam, were wearing hoodies and had their faces covered. McPherson armed with a baseball bat confronted the victim when she stated that she was going to retrieve her gun. McPherson then beat the elderly woman and the family’s dog. Her husband was able to come help her and fight off the McPherson and Gilliam with a fire extinguisher.

The victim then called the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to the call and found McPherson matched the description provided by the victim. McPherson was also found to have evidence from the use of the fire extinguisher on his boots when apprehended by law enforcement.

Gilliam has already been sentenced to prison.