Blacksburg man beaten to death

A Blacksburg man died Friday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte after he was severely beaten, according to a police report.

Timothy Wayne Pennington Sr., 35, of 153 Lady Drive, Blacksburg, was transported to Charlotte from Cleveland Regional Medical Center after he was assaulted at approximately 1 a.m. just outside Grover, N.C.

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. No arrests have yet been made.

Police said Pennington had multiple severe cuts to his face, neck and the back of his head and was unable to breathe without assistance. Medical personnel told police Pennington might also have had a spinal injury because he was unable to move his legs, a report at the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office states.

Family members told the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office that Robert Earls brought Pennington to Pennington’s nephew’s home and said Pennington needed medical treatment.

The man told Gregory Pennington Jr. that he and Timothy Pennington had met several men for a crack deal, police said.

Emergency Medical Services from Upstate Carolina Medical Center responded to Pennington Jr.’s home on Bridges Road and found the victim in the back seat of a vehicle, according to the report. Timothy Pennington told medics he needed help moving his legs. He was also having difficulty breathing and experiencing pain in his head and right leg. He was transported to Cleveland Regional because of its trauma center status.

Timothy Pennington tested positive for marijuana and cocaine at the hospital, according to the report.

(Gaffney Ledger staff writer Scott Baughman contributed to this story.)