Man charged for cutting son's throat

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was charged for cutting his son’s throat during a confrontation in Moses Lake over the weekend. The son died from the injury on Monday.

Grant County prosecutors charged Jeffrey Faircloth, 52, of Moses Lake, with second-degree assault in connection with the death of his son, Dakota Faircloth, 20, of Moses Lake.

On Saturday night the Moses Lake Police Department responded to a home in the 1100 block of South Ashley for a report of a domestic violence incident involving a father and son. The caller advised Jeffrey Faircloth had sustained an injury to his head and the call was disconnected. Upon arriving at the scene officers located Dakota Faircloth in an attached garage with an arterial bleed from “an obvious neck wound,” according to court documents.

Officers began life-saving steps to treat the neck wound until medics arrived and Dakota Faircloth was transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake. He was later airlifted to Confluence Health-Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, where he passed away on Monday.

Jeffrey Faircloth told investigators he and his son had gotten into an argument, which resulted in his son throwing an item at him, striking him in the head. He claimed he went upstairs to the kitchen to deal with the wound and was followed by his son.

“In the kitchen Jeffrey obtained a knife, turned and Dakota lunged at him. Jeffrey struck Dakota cutting his throat,” wrote a officer. “Dakota turned and exited the residence and fell to the ground in the attached garage where he was eventually contacted by officers.”

Jeffrey Faircloth claimed he grabbed the knife to slash the tires on his son’s vehicle and he didn’t intend to use it as a weapon. Two people who were in Dakota Faircloth’s room when the argument initially began claimed Jeffrey Faircloth started arguing with his son over the number of people at the house and “Dakota’s failure to pay Jeffrey.” They gave a similar account of Dakota Faircloth throwing an object at his father. The witnesses did not see the second confrontation when Dakota Faircloth’s throat was cut.

The weapon, a 10-inch chef’s kitchen knife, and three separate blood trails were found inside the house: one from Dakota Faircloth, one from Jeffrey Faircloth and one from Jeffrey Faircloth’s girlfriend, who claimed she attempted to break up the fight and was cut on her hand when she tried to grab the knife.

Jeffrey Faircloth was transported to Samaritan Hospital for treatment of his head wound and was later booked into the Grant County Jail. The prosecutor's office could not be reached for comment on if or when additional charges will be filed against Jeffrey Faircloth, as the initial charging documents were filed before Dakota Faircloth died on Monday.

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