Torturetape spurs shock in Alva
Torture tape spurs shock in Alva

ALVA — As a mentally challenged man screamed and pleaded for his torture to end, his attackers held him down, shot him repeatedly with paintball and BB guns, and branded him with searing coat hangers.

"Mommy, mommy,” the victim screamed, to no avail.

His torturers videotaped the episode, with one so proud of his work he listed his own name as the video's director, producer and star.

Now, two Alva men face felony charges in the undated video. A Woods County judge set bail at $75,000.

"It was a gruesome assault,” said Ben Orcutt, Alva's assistant police chief.

The victim, Harry Dahling worked with Jesse T. Wallace and Marvin Michael Tarver at a local food processing plant.

Police confirmed the victim is autistic and said he had trouble answering questions about the assault.

"He may be 20 or 21 years old, but he acts like a juvenile,” Orcutt said.

According to a police affidavit, Wallace's father turned in the hourlong video and six mini-DVDs to a state Department of Human Services office, which led to the police investigation.

Orcutt said Jesse Wallace later told police he transferred the video's contents onto the DVDs and hoped to sell them.

"They wanted to make ‘Jackass' style video,” Orcutt said, referring to the former cable TV series depicting young men injuring themselves using different methods.

Orcutt said Wallace "didn't have an answer” for how he planned to sell the videos.

"He hadn't thought it through, obviously,” Orcutt said.

Orcutt said the abuse of the young autistic man made up 15 to 20 minutes of the video. In other segments, Dahling subjected his "friends” to abuse, which Orcutt conceded could pose a problem if the case goes to trial.

Orcutt said he suspects the video was shot within the past six months.

The video depicted Wallace and others branding the letters B, M and C into Dahling's chest, the affidavit states.

Wallace told police those letters stand for boredom, mayhem and chaos, Orcutt said.

During the branding, the victim is heard screaming, "No, no, no, stop it, I don't want to go through any more pain,” according to the affidavit.

After being shot several times with the BB pistol and another gun, the victim cries and attempts to leave, but is cornered by Wallace and another man and told to get down or he will be shot again, the affidavit states.

He screams, "I'll be good, I'll be good” but Wallace uses the gun barrel to push the man's head to the floor, according to the affidavit.

In another scene, Dahling is shot several times with a paintball gun, then lifts his shirt to reveal welts.

Wallace is on probation after pleading guilty last year to child abuse, domestic abuse and two cruelty-to-animals charges.

The child abuse involved a spiral leg fracture and bite marks on his 2-year-old stepchild. Wallace gave conflicting accounts about how the injuries occurred, court records show.

One of the animal cruelty charges involved a kitten that was thrown against a wall.

Contributing: Staff Writer Johnny Johnson and The Associated Press

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