Man arrested for stabbing after argument over cigarettes, knife

A man has been arrested after attacking a man with a box cutter knife at a local boarding house.

Just before 3:00 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, Warsaw Police responded to a boarding house at 223 W. Jefferson Street, near downtown Warsaw, for a fight in progress and a subject bleeding badly.

Police arrived and found Mitchell Robinson, 30, of Warsaw, unresponsive with severe lacerations to his stomach and neck areas in room #5. Lutheran EMS Kosciusko attended to the victim, he was then transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital and then flown by helicopter to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne in critical condition.

The tenant of the room told police that she was in her room with Robinson when she left for a few moments. When she returned to the room, her neighbor from down the hall was on top of Robinson. The neighbor then ran back to his room and she observed that Mr. Robinson was bleeding profusely, according to Captain Kip Shuter, Public Information Officer, Warsaw Police Department.

Police located the neighbor identified as Randel Manley, 51, of Warsaw, in his room with blood on his clothes and a bloody box cutter type knife at his doorway.

The investigation indicates that both men were intoxicated and several times earlier that night were arguing about Robinson wanting his cigarettes and knife back. This investigation is ongoing, but initially concludes that Manley slashed Robinson with a knife.

Manley was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail, with no bond, on an initial felony charge of aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon.

Formal charges will be filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office later today.