FORT HALL, Idaho (AP) — A trucker from Missouri who was beaten at an Idaho truck stop last month is still recovering from his injuries, and his employer has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his attacker.
Amos Phillips of Camdenton, Missouri, was sleeping inside his cab at a Fort Hall, Idaho, truck stop on Sept. 2 when an unknown attacker pried open his locked door, demanded money and beat Phillips with rocks in his fists.
“The man said he wanted money or he was going to mess me up real bad,” Phillips said. “I told him I didn’t have any and that’s when he started pounding on me.”
Phillips says he managed to fight back.
“I took my fingers and tried to get to his eyes, but I don’t know if I did or not. It was dark,” Phillips said. “Then I took both feet and shoved him backward, and he fell out of the truck and took off running into the darkness.”
He managed to call 911 and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a broken nose, broken cheekbones and a blood clot on his brain.
The attack left him with seizures and Phillips has not yet been able to return to work. He’s worked for the Missouri-based JWE Inc. trucking company for the last 25 years.
Phillips’ boss, John Williams, the owner of JWE Inc., said he is not sure when Phillips will be cleared to return to work. Williams sent another driver to Fort Hall to retrieve the truck.
Williams said that driver reported the sleeper cab was covered in blood, and the door handle was torn off.
TP Truck Stop security camera footage captured the attacker approaching the semi from the passenger rear side but the angle of the camera was unable to produce a clear enough picture to determine the attacker’s identity, Williams said.
In the future, Phillips said he plans to carry a firearm inside his truck for protection.
“And I’m not afraid to pull the trigger,” he said.
