Rock Hill vet, former cop accused of beating neighbor. Then his mom disappeared

A Rock Hill Iraq war combat veteran and former Charlotte-Mecklenburg deputy who beat his female neighbor almost to death in 2017 was sentenced to 10 years in prison late Monday.

Joshua Jaehi Goodman, 31, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to attempted murder and other charges in the beating of his neighbor, Constance Buchanan, in April 2017. The incident happened on Bonnybrook Circle, outside Rock Hill.

Goodman pleaded guilty in March under what is called an Alford plea. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but accepts the sentence of a guilty plea because a jury likely would find him guilty.

In another case that police say remains unsolved, and is not believed to be connected, Goodman’s mother disappeared and still has not been found, York County deputies said. His mother disappeared after his arrest, while he was in jail.

Goodman, who grew up in Charlotte and worked as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office detention officer before the beating, was on medication for post traumatic stress disorder and depression at the time of the incident, court testimony Monday showed.

Prosecutors said in court that Goodman was under the influence of marijuana on the day of the attack, and that he demolished his own home, then beat his neighbor without provocation in a fit of rage.

Goodman beat Buchanan before her husband intervened, and before police arrived, said Misti Shelton, 16th Circuit senior assistant solicitor. The victim was hospitalized for injuries to her head, face, and body after what Shelton called a “brutal” beating.

“He beat her almost to death,” Shelton said in court. “She was unconscious after the first beating, and then Mr. Goodman went back and was beating her again when her husband saved her.”

A neighbor called 911.

Buchanan’s husband, Greg Buchanan, and Goodman fought for several minutes until police arrived and found all three combatants on the ground, court testimony showed.

Greg Buchanan was punched and bitten, but he “got the better of Goodman” and protected his wife from further injury, according to testimony.

Testimony in court Monday from both indicated that the Buchanans and other neighbors had been friendly with Goodman. There was no incident that triggered the violence, according to testimony.

“In Mr. Goodman’s own words, his neighbors had always been nice to him,” Shelton said.

Shelton asked that Goodman be sentenced to 20 years in prison because the Buchanans and other neighbors were “terrified” that he would return to the neighborhood..

Goodman’s lawyer said that his PTSD and depression from military service caused an “out of body experience” that day. Goodman started the violence after hearing loud noises, said his lawyer, Twana Burris-Alcide.

Goodman left the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office where he worked as a jailer in 2016 because of PTSD, she said. She said he is remorseful that he attacked his neighbor, and has wanted to apologize since his arrest, Burris-Alcide said.

“If he could take that day back, he would,” Burris-Alcide said.

Goodman has been in jail since his arrest. Burris-Alcide asked for a sentence of time served for Goodman and in-patient treatment at a Veterans Administration hospital.

Circuit Judge Dan Hall ordered that Goodman go to prison for 10 years, after mental health treatment.

Goodman’s arrest led to a second police case that still remains open.

After Goodman was jailed in April 2017, his mother was listed as a missing person, and still remains missing, police said.

Mishelle Calvert, Goodman’s mother, came to York County from Florida to take care of her son’s home after his arrest, according to Burris-Alcide and Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office.

Calvert, 55, called Burris-Alcide daily before a May 2017 court hearing in her son’s case, but Calvert did not show up, Burris-Alcide said in court Monday.

“She was listed as missing and still is missing,” Burris-Alcide said in court. ‘Before that, she called me as many as three times a day.”

Police sought help from authorities and the public in both Carolinas, Georgia and Florida in attempts to locate Calvert.

Calvert’s car was found in Charlotte in May 2017. She was last seen at her son’s Rock Hill home around May 8, 2017, Faris said.

“The missing person case is still open, and we are still trying to locate Ms. Calvert,” Faris said.

Police have not said that the cases are connected.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Rock Hill vet, former cop accused of beating neighbor. Then his mom disappeared."