One of two suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing of
a third man in Morgan Hill was booked on suspicion of attempted
murder, police said.
One of two suspects arrested in connection with the stabbing of a third man in Morgan Hill was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.
Following a domestic argument that led to a physical struggle at a residence on Ciolino Avenue Wednesday night, Charles Rolen, 30, stabbed a 49-year-old Morgan Hill man in the neck and head, according to Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. David Swing. The victim, Ernest L. Andrews, was flown to San Jose Regional Hospital with puncture wounds to his neck and head. He was in “stable condition” as of Thursday afternoon, Swing said.
After he was stabbed, the victim walked from the crime scene at Ciolino Village Apartments to the Dollar Tree store at the corner of Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road. A bystander there saw the man bleeding from his neck and called 911 about 10:25 p.m.
Paramedics treated him at the scene and called in a helicopter to bring him to the hospital.
Another suspect, Michael Rolen, 26 of Morgan Hill, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony and destruction of evidence. Police think the younger suspect disposed of the clothing worn by Charles Rolen during the stabbing at an undisclosed location near Spring Avenue. The clothing, which police later found, was stained with the victim’s blood, Swing said.
The two suspects are related, though Swing did not know if they are cousins or brothers. The victim is not believed to be related to the suspects, and the incident was not gang-related.
However, the victim and the suspects knew each other before the altercation that ended in bloodshed. The fight started inside Andrews’ apartment.
“The victim and suspects were hanging out together and got into an argument,” Swing said. “At one point the suspect, Charles, grabbed a knife and stabbed the victim, and a struggle ensued.”
The altercation spilled outside in front of the apartment, where Charles Rolen stabbed the man in the head and neck, Swing said. The suspected stabber then fled to his apartment, in the same complex.
Shortly after police and paramedics responding to treat Andrews near the Dollar Tree determined where he lived, officers searched and cleared his apartment, where they found evidence of a fight. No one was inside the apartment.
Police arrested Charles Rolen when he walked outside his apartment while police were investigating the scene. Michael Rolen was arrested a few minutes later, also near the crime scene. Both were identified as suspects shortly after police began the investigation.
Charles Rolen was previously known to local police, as he was arrested July 16 for public intoxication on Monterey Road.
Police think all three people involved in Wednesday night’s incident, including the victim, were under the influence of alcohol, Swing said.
The suspects were transported to Santa Clara County Jail.
The location of Andrews’ stab wounds near vital areas on the head and neck likely influenced the officers’ decision to charge Charles Rolen with attempted murder, Swing said. If the victim had been stabbed in the arm or leg, for example, police might have booked him for the slightly less serious charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
“Any stab wound to the area of the neck has high potential to cause fatal injury. Fortunately, in this case the wound was not fatal,” Swing said.
The District Attorney will determine what charges the men will formally face in the next few days.
Anyone with more information about this incident may contact the Morgan Hill Police Department at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867).
