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Andrews – Three teenagers have been charged in connection with a fight that left one of their peers suffering from serious injuries.
Kamron Austin Nichols, 18; Degan Kayne Smith, 18; and a local juvenile whose name has been withheld by local law enforcement officials are accused of beating another teenager at a party on Nov. 7.
The altercation left 18-year-old Dylan Phillips suffering from a broken nose, a broken orbit and a brain hemorrhage, according to court documents. Phillips is the son of newly elected Commissioner Randy Phillips, who took the oath of office in December.
Authorities say the teenagers attended an outdoor party in Healey Fields, where at least six other people had gathered. Witnesses told police some of the attendees consumed alcohol.
“There was some drinking going on, but not all of them were underage,” Cherokee County sheriff’s Lt. Tiffany Holland said.
At some point during the night, the juvenile who has been charged told others that he wanted to fight.
“Witnesses heard him say he was looking for a fight, and it seems that our victim just happened to be the one there,” Holland said. “The juvenile was the instigator, and the other two backed him up.”
While the trio beat on Phillips, a young woman intervened and sustained a blow by Phillips, officials say.
“He didn’t understand that she was trying to help because everyone else was beating on him,” Holland said. “My understanding is that he was just trying to get everyone away from him.”
Phillips was rushed to the hospital before police were notified about the assault around 3:19 a.m. He was later taken to a hospital in Tennessee and has since been released.
The juvenile was served with a petition a few days after the assault. Meanwhile, Nichols and Smith were nowhere to be found. Rumors claimed the pair fled to the Midwest.
“We just knew that they weren’t at home,” Holland said. “They could have been staying with a friend and we didn’t know. It doesn’t necessarily mean they went to Ohio.”
Smith was arrested on Dec. 7, after Phillips told police his alleged assailant was at Downtown Pizza Co. in Murphy. Nichols surrendered to local authorities on Dec. 30.
“I guess [Nichols] just decided it needed to be taken care of,” Holland said.
Nichols and Smith are each charged with felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury.