Gadsden man faces assault, robbery, drug charges after reported attack

A 40-year-old Gadsden man faces charges of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, and drug possession in connection with a Wednesday morning incident.

Junior Lorenza Pitts was taken into custody Wednesday and charged on Thursday, according to Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton.

Deputies responded Wednesday morning to U.S. Highway 411 North just outside the Gadsden city limits in response to a report of a man in the roadway, covered in blood. The victim told deputies another man had attacked him with a machete.

Talking to witnesses and the victim, police were able to identify a person of interest, and he was arrested within 30 minutes of deputies and officers arriving on the scene.

The victim, Danny Lee Chamblee, was taken to UAB hospital by Survival Flight, and has since undergone surgery and is in stable condition, according to ECSO Capt. Josh Morgan.

Pitts is being held in the Etowah County Detention Center on a $300,000 bond and must complete a mental evaluation.

The Etowah County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Etowah County Drug Unit and the Gadsden police and fire departments.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.