Suspect in Brutal Assault Found Hiding in Attic

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 20-yearold man on Friday for a brutal assault in Clear Lake Pines that happened the day before.

The Sheriff’s Office reported that a homeowner in the 500 block of Deer Loop inside the Clear Lake Pines subdivision called 911 around 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, to report a severely injured man on her front porch.

Deputies Wesly Arrison and Joe Gonzales arrived at the home and discovered a 21-year-old man covered in blood and suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and neck area.

The victim told officers that he had been attacked and that his vehicle and phone had been stolen.

During the initial response, the Sheriff’s Office said, the victim’s vehicle was located abandoned nearby, and his cell phone was later discovered discarded in a public trash can within the subdivision.

Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Texas Rangers discovered that the victim had traveled to a residence in the 500 block of Deer Loop after communicating with a suspect through a social application.

“Digital evidence, scene findings, and additional investigative leads identified Norman Robert Hicks, 20, as the suspect,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Friday.

Investigators determined that Hicks resides on Rick Road, which is also located within the Clear Lake Pines Subdivision near the scene of the shooting, the report said.

The following day, on Friday, Nov. 7, investigators from the Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Austin County Special Response Team executed a search and arrest warrant at a residence in the 200 block of Rick Road.

“Hicks was not located at that address,” the report said. “However, investigators received information from a witness indicating that Hicks was hiding at a residence in the 100 block of West Front Street in Winchester.”

Members of the Austin County Special Response Team, along with Sheriff’s Investigators responded to that location. They found Hicks concealed in an attic crawlspace.

“A K-9 was deployed during the apprehension, and Hicks sustained minor dogbite injuries before being taken into custody without further incident,” the report said.

Hicks received medical treatment for the dog bite injuries and was later booked into the Dan R. Beck Justice Center on three charges: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated robbery and tampering with physical evidence.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Fayette County EMS reported that they transported the victim by ambulance to Bastrop where they rendezvoued with a medical helicopter, which carried the victim to Austin for hospitalization. Fayette County EMS Director Josh Vandever said the victim was in critical condition at the time.

The Sheriff’s Office reported on Sunday that the victim survived the attack, but they declined to identify the victim or his current medical status, citing privacy concerns.