Published: June 16, 2008 10:46 pm         

Man arrested after being assaulted with garden hoe, knife

A 30-year-old Enid man who was assaulted with a garden hoe, and possibly a knife, Sunday morning also may face cocaine possession charges.

Enid Police Department officers responded to a stabbing at 1601 E. Oklahoma about 6:53 a.m. Sunday, according to a police report. Upon arriving, officers found a 30-year-old Orlando Morales laying against a vehicle bleeding from his forehead and with blood on his shirts and jeans. Officer’s checked the man’s back and found what appeared to be a knife stab wound.

When police asked Morales who had hurt him, he refused to give officers any names. Police checked Morales for an identification card and found two green plastic bags containing a white powdery substance, according to a police report.

Police spoke with the homeowner, who said his wife woke him up that morning telling him there appeared to be a man laying outside drunk. When the man went to check, he found Morales bleeding and called police.

When officers asked the homeowner if he knew Morales, the man said he did not.

According to the report, Morales was taken by ambulance to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, where police were told he was going to be taken for surgery because one of the wounds could have punctured his diaphragm.

Police spoke with Morales, who said he was drinking with his friend, who lives at 1601 E. Oklahoma, when another man began arguing with his friend, according to the report. Morales said he intervened and got hit with a hoe and blacked out.

Morales said two men had assaulted him, and gave police nicknames but refused to provide police with their real names. However, Morales said one of the men lived at the East Oklahoma residence, according to the report.

Police spoke with a witness, who said two men had assaulted Morales, one with a hoe and the other with a knife.

Police obtained information about two brothers, ages 23 and 20, and spoke with one at the East Oklahoma residence. Because the men were not arrested when the report was prepared, police have redacted their names from the report but they are listed under suspect/ arrestee sections.

Police were given an address for the two men, but were unable to make contact with them.

Police have forwarded the case to the Garfield County District Attorney’s Office.