CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man accused of stabbing his younger brother had all charges bound over to court by Magisterial District Judge James L. Hawkins following a preliminary hearing during Centralized Court Wednesday at the Clearfield County Jail.
Michael D. Warrick, 22, of Clearfield is facing charges of aggravated assault; simple assault; recklessly endangering another person; harassment; and disorderly conduct. Hawkins denied the defense’s request for Warrick’s bail to be lowered. Warrick’s bail remains at $100,000 monetary.
During the preliminary hearing, the victim, 19, testified that at approximately 6 p.m. Dec. 3, he was at home preparing food in the kitchen. He said Warrick had already prepared food for himself. When the victim went to move his brother’s food, Warrick yelled at him not to do so.
“I turned to make food and heard him say, ‘how about this?’” testified the victim. When he turned to look at his brother, Warrick was holding a paring knife about four feet away from him. The victim said Warrick was pointing the paring knife at him and waving it around.
The victim testified that he attempted to move away; however, Warrick stepped toward him. The victim said he became scared and grabbed Warrick in an attempt to restrain the hand in which he had the paring knife. The victim then threw Warrick on the floor, and they engaged in a scuffle.
According to the victim, Warrick stabbed him in his lower, left leg, which resulted in a two- to three-inch wound. He said Warrick also stabbed him in his abdominal area when family members were separating them. When asked, the victim said he didn’t feel the stomach wound, as it occurred during “a lot of adrenaline.”
The victim said he noticed blood and went into the bathroom to attempt to stop further bleeding. He went to the Clearfield Hospital for medical treatment and received four staples for the leg wound. He said his stomach wound is still open.
During cross examination, defense attorney Chris Pentz asked the victim if he’d consumed any alcohol, drugs or medications on the night in question. The victim said he did not.
The victim admitted to initiating physical contact with Warrick but also testified that he was attempting to retrain his brother and get the knife from him.
In closing Pentz said he didn’t condone the “inappropriate” actions of Warrick and him “playing” and “showing off” with a knife. He stressed that the victim initiated the physical confrontation by grabbing Warrick, which escalated into the alleged stabbing incident. He sought for the judge to lower Warrick’s bail.
First Assistant District Attorney Beau M. Grove opposed any bail modifications and asked for it to remain the same. He said the victim and Warrick live in the same residence. He pointed out that the defendant initiated the confrontation by waiving the knife at the victim.
“The defendant has a significant background, and he’s going to be in prison for a very long time,” said Grove.
