A Chattanooga man accused of attacking a woman with a rock in order to steal her purse was found guilty of aggravated robbery after a two-day trial.
According to Prosecutor Jason Demastus, Amy Andrews was walking from her home on 18th Street to her car in the driveway when Alfonzo Rounsaville struck her on the head with a large rock back in November 2012.
Attorney Demastus said to the jury, "Reeling from the strike, she finds the defendant in her driveway attempting to steal her purse."
Ms. Andrews testified that she was hit multiple times after that. She said she lost her balance after the first hit and finally yelled for the man to take the purse; he grabbed it and ran away.
After this, she said a neighbor saw their struggle and ran to help her. The neighbor then called 911 and waited with Ms. Andrews until police arrived. The 911 tape was played for the jury.
Another neighbor saw a man running through the area while carrying a purse and alerted authorities.
Because Ms. Andrews' phone was in the stolen purse, she was able to use an app on her iPad called "Find my iPhone" to GPS locate the bag. Approximately 20 minutes after the incident, police apprehended Rounsaville.
Police showed a photo ID of Rounsaville to the victim to ask if it was the same man. Attorney Dupree pointed out that Ms. Andrews did not identify the defendant in person immediately after the attack.
He told the jury, "Please don't confuse what you hear the state wants to prove with what you hear on the witness stand."
He said Rounsaville lived near 18th Street and therefore had a reason to be walking around the area. He said Rounsaville had been misidentified on a racial basis. However, Ms. Andrews was adamant the man sitting in court was the same man who struck her.
Ms. Andrews also told the jury that after the attack, she had gone to an ENT doctor as well as an eye doctor. She said she began to have what her doctor called "floaters" in her field of vision after the incident. Her doctor told her it was because of the impact trauma.
Attorney Dupree disagreed and said floaters were a common problem, saying that even he had them. He asked Ms. Andrews where his came from since he had not had any head trauma.
Now that Rounsaville has been convicted, a sentencing hearing will be held in the near future.