Hammer-wielding felon faces life for attacking victims in Deltona house

A 41-year-old felon faces a possible life term in prison after he was convicted Wednesday in a hammerattack burglary in Deltona last year.

A jury found Christopher George of Deltona guilty of armed burglary, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and grand theft of a dwelling in the May 2013 attack.

Prosecutors are seeking a special “re-offender designation” for George, providing the groundwork for a mandatory life sentence, said Assistant State Attorney Spencer S. Hathaway.

A sentencing date hasn’t been set, Hathaway said.

George’s criminal past includes arrests for bur- glaries, thefts, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, resisting an officer with violence and other crimes, Hathaway said.

State records show he’s been in and out of Florida prisons for convictions on those crimes and others from Volusia and Lake counties since 1989.

George broke into the home of Patricia and Doug Goddard on Bonview Avenue on May 6, 2013, while the couple shopped at WalMart, records show.

When the couple returned home at 11 a.m. that day, they noticed someone’s mountain bike resting on their front door.

Then they noticed that their door was smashed open.

When they entered the house, they found George in the master bedroom.

“George, who was wielding a hammer, attacked the husband, striking him several times in the face and back,” Hathaway said in a statement.

The then-67-year- old victim defended himself with a chair until George ran outside, hopped on his bike and took off.

The wife called 911 and deputies found him less than a quarter of a mile away.

Deputies set up a perimeter and found bicycle tracks in a sandy area in the 3300 block of Tara Street.

They later found his bike near some woods.

Deputies with police dogs went into the woods, tracked George and took him into custody without additional violence.