Man is fishing with woman when acquaintance approaches, beats him to death, IN cops say

An Indiana man was on a fishing excursion with a woman when an acquaintance approached and beat him to death, according to investigators.

It happened on the night of Saturday, April 27, in a rural area in southwest Lawrence County, close to the Orange County line, Indiana State Police said in an April 29 news release.

The angler was Timothy Tolbert, of Mitchell, and he was with a Lawrence County woman who police have not publicly identified, the release said. At some point during their outing, they were confronted by an acquaintance, 46-year-old Homer Smith, and the two men got into a fight, according to police.

Investigators say Smith punched Tolbert in the head “multiple times” during the struggle, then ran from the scene. It’s unclear what condition Tolbert was in after the fight, but he didn’t survive.

“Tolbert succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Orange County Coroner,” police said.

Lawrence County deputies found Smith at his mother’s home and arrested him on a charge of murder. He was booked into the Orange County jail and is being held without bond, police said.

An investigation is underway and an autopsy is scheduled, police said.

Lawrence County is a roughly 75-mile drive southwest from Indianapolis.

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