Man pleads guilty after beating a trucker so brutally he may never drive again

An Idaho man is facing up to a decade in prison after he admitted to beating a truck driver with rocks during an attempted robbery, federal authorities say.

On October 24, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Idaho announced that Stormy Ray Adakai, 24, pleaded guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred around 3 a.m. on September 3, 2018 in Fort Hall, Idaho.

Missouri-based truck driver Amos Phillips, 65, was asleep inside his truck, which was parked at the TP Gas Station off of I-15 near the Fort Hall Casino, on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. Phillips had visited the casino on a 34 hour restart.

Phillips later told police that as he was sleeping, an unknown male later identified as Adakai broke into the cab of his truck and demanded money. When Phillips said that he didn’t have any, Adakai reportedly beat him with with rocks in both hands.

Phillips survived the brutal attack but suffered a broken nose, a broken orbital (eye) bone, and a brain hemorrhage. He also has seizures as a result of the brain injuries sustained during the beating.

Prosecutors say that following the beating, a witness identified Adakai.

When police interviewed Adakai, he admitted to beating Phillips and said that he did it because he was intoxicated and wanted money.

Phillips spent a few days in the hospital. He later told the Idaho State Journal that “Externally I’m fine. But from the beating I may never be able to go back to driving. I have a hematoma, or blood clot, on the brain, and they have me on some very serious medications. Because of that I can’t drive commercially.”

Adakai is facing up to ten years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.