PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County man faces a felony assault charge, after allegedly attacking a motel clerk to rid the man of “demons.”

Pikeville Police were called to the Hatfield and McCoy Lodge around 6 a.m. Thursday. When they arrived, they found blood on the office door, a pool of blood in the lobby, and a clerk nearby covered in blood.

The man told police that 50-year-old Allen Todd Elswick had come to the clerk’s office to ask for his mail. When he was told he had to wait until business hours, he allegedly pushed the clerk into a cabinet and began beating and kicking him in the head.

When officers questioned Elswick about the incident, he allegedly admitted to beating the clerk because he had “demons inside of his head.” He also allegedly told officers he had used meth earlier.

Elswick was arrested on a charge of second-degree assault, which carries a potential prison sentence of 5-to-10 years.