James Maxie beats Ohio pastor, Rev Norman Hayes, in his church after ‘heckling’ him during the sermon

An Ohio pastor says he feared for his life as a man attacked the preacher, beating him in his church after the Sunday morning service.

Police report that Rev. Norman Hayes suffered a broken nose, bruises and three long cuts on his face that required stitches.

James Maxie

Hayes, age 57, was beaten by James Maxie, age 28, at Bridge Community Church by a self-described atheist after the pastor asked the man’s girlfriend if she felt safe. Maxie took the question as an insult.

“He was very, very upset that I’d even suggest that he would hurt her,” said Hayes, who said the man had been very argumentative and confrontational during his service. The pastor said the man then hit him “and knocked me down, then he got on top of me and just kept hitting me over and over.”

The Daily Mail reported Maxie made comments about Adolf Hitler before service began and “heckled” Hayes while he was at the pulpit. Exactly what was said about Hitler is not known.

“It looked like he was looking for an argument,” Hayes said.

Maxie and the girlfriend, who attends the church, approached Hayes after the service. She told police that Hayes asked her if Maxie was abusing her, and Maxie became furious, striking pastor several times in the face in the church hallway.

Police Chief Jarrod Campbell said he’d never seen such a brutal attack in his police work, let alone in a church.

“Churches are somewhere where people go to worship their particular religion, and violence is usually the last thing you see,” Campbell said.

Maxie, of Springfield, was charged with felonious assault and misdemeanor resisting arrest. He was being held in the Clark County Jail.

Photo is a screenshot from video coverage: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/pastor-attacked-church-police-say/nbTNt/