Affidavit: Fatal Baseball Bat Attack Stemmed from Flirtation

TYLER — An arrest affidavit released to our news partner KETK gives new information on what reportedly happened during a baseball bat attack last week, leaving one man dead in southwestern Smith County. According to the affidavit, at around 4 a.m. on Friday, deputies responded to a disturbance in the 22000 block of Lakeway Harbor. When a deputy made it to the scene, James Preston Bales and his fiancee were standing outside. Upon entering the home, the deputy found a man lying face down on the kitchen floor with his head covered in blood. The man, identified as Bias Ben Lott, was not responsive.

Bales told the law enforcement officer his account of the incident. The suspect stated Lott came over to use his shower, due to not having water at his home. During this time, Bales claimed Lott began flirting with his fiancee and asked them to use drugs. According to the document, Bales believed his fiancee and the victim had done some drugs. Lott then allegedly grabbed a knife out of the kitchen and was hit in the head with a baseball bat near the refrigerator. Following the assault, 911 was contacted. When Lott stood up, he hit the victim in his head a second time, according to the affidavit. The bat was later found in the back of a truck at the home. Cap tops of syringes were also found at the scene. Officials say they found several small bags containing a crystal like substance on Lott at a local hospital.

During the investigation, the suspect admitted he never saw a knife in Lott’s hand and that the victim was only reaching for a knife in the kitchen drawer, according to the affidavit. A neighbor told authorities Bales had been seen chasing a man in the past with a baseball bat. Lott died at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday from his injuries. Bales was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. His charge was later upgraded to murder. His remains in jail on $500,000 bond.