Canoeist injured by bearded man wielding machete

Franklin County deputies believe a man who used a machete to injure a canoeist and detain a woman Monday at a campsite along the Mulberry River has left the area.

Christopher Bellinger of Oklahoma suffered cuts on his ear and several on his arm, one of which severed an artery and required medical treatment.

Sheriff’s investigator Sgt. Jeff Wood said Bellinger was airlifted to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville where he was treated and later released.

The attacker was described as being in his 50s or 60s, bearded and driving a gray newer model Ford pickup with Florida tags, Sheriff Anthony Boen said Wednesday.

Wood found the bearded man’s name, which he would not disclose Wednesday, and a phone number while searching through the man’s belongings early Tuesday, but attempts to reach him were not successful.

The phone’s last location was tracked to Jackson, Tenn., Wood said.

Boen said Bellinger and the woman were canoeing on the Mulberry River about 5 p.m. Monday when they stopped at a spot along the river near Redding Campground called Huggins Loop to talk to a bearded man camping there.

Wood said Bellinger told him Tuesday that they learned that the man was a Navy veteran. As the couple was about to leave, Bellinger shook the man’s hand and thanked him for his service, Wood said.

When Bellinger turned to leave, Wood said, the man grabbed Bellinger’s companion, Tori Harris, also of Oklahoma, and threatened her with the machete. Bellinger tried to intervene and was struck several times with the machete, according to Wood.

Boen and Wood said they didn’t know why the bearded man reacted the way he did.

The man left the scene before authorities arrived, Boen said, abandoning his tent, mattress and other belongings.

Wood said he spoke with the man’s sister, who said he made his living on the poker tour and camped out between tournaments. His next stop was to be in North Carolina next month.