Warden woman charged for stabbing boyfriend

WARDEN — A Warden woman was charged for stabbing her boyfriend several times during an altercation in Warden last week.

Grant County prosecutors charged Melissa Tapia, 34, of Warden, with second-degree assault-domestic violence in Grant County Superior Court.

About 7:05 p.m. Feb. 16 the Warden Police Department received word of an assault at an apartment in the 100 block of South Ash Avenue. Police were advised that the suspect, alleged to be Tapia, had fled the scene prior to officer arrival, according to court documents.

The male victim was located lying on the floor of the apartment with blood on his hands, arms, legs, and underneath his body. The man told the responding officer his girlfriend, Tapia, had stabbed him about seven times all over his body.

A witness told the officer he was in his apartment with the victim when Tapia entered uninvited and began arguing with the victim. He said he left Tapia and the victim alone and claimed a short time later he heard loud yelling and the victim tell Tapia, “he would not let her hit him and would hit her.” Tapia allegedly told the victim she wouldn’t hit him either, but would stab him.

“(The witness) then came out of the room to find Tapia on top of (the victim) and stabbing him with what appeared to be a knife but was not sure of the description of the knife,” wrote a officer.

Another male in the apartment claimed he didn’t see the actual stabbing, but said he saw Tapia leave the apartment with a pair of scissors, not a knife. A fire department member reportedly located the knife underneath the victim when they responded to the scene to evaluate his injuries. American Medical Response (AMR) transported the victim to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for treatment of the stab wounds.

“(The victim) had been stabbed twice on the left lower leg calf area. The upper stab wound was deep and the most severe with lots of blood loss, tissue damage and possible vein or artery damage. By the time I left the ER room, the doctor wasn’t sure if they had internal bleeding still going on.”

Other stab wounds included one the victim’s lower calf, which required stitches, one on his right thigh, which required stitches, and a small cut on his right ring finger, according to court documents.

Richard Byrd be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.