NORWICH – A Sherburne man who was stabbed twice in the chest Saturday has been released from Chenango Memorial Hospital and is recovering from exploratory surgery.
At about 7 a.m. Dec. 20, Jacob A. Wilkes, 24, of Sherburne, drove himself to the city police station with two stab wounds – one just below his sternum and the other to his upper left rib cage. Wilkes told police he had been attacked at an apartment at 16 Sheldon St. in the City of Norwich less than an hour earlier.
In a phone interview with The Evening Sun Tuesday, Wilkes said he was stabbed with an 8-inch kitchen steak knife that damaged his liver following a confrontation with another man in the apartment’s stairwell.
He claimed he was attempting to visit the resident of the home, a woman he said he had a lengthy personal relationship with, while on his way to Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, where he works in the nursing unit.
Wilkes claimed he was let in by the woman, who unlocked the apartment’s door. He then said he was confronted by an armed male occupant inside and a fight ensued.
Police said the three occupants at the apartment told a different story, claiming Wilkes was the aggressor and saying he arrived uninvited and forced his way into the apartment.
“It’s very serious and a complex issue. Ultimately we just want the truth of what happened,” said Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino, whose investigators are working to confirm the conflicting reports.
Officers had not yet confirmed the attack even took place but executed a search warrant Saturday afternoon at the Sheldon St. apartment removing evidence that may support a possible assault from the scene, said Angelino.
Angelino said the fact that some of the subjects involved in the case had an intimate background also further complicated officer’s efforts.
“There are always two stories and depending which people you speak with, you can get multiple versions of the same event. Our job is to try and sort out what really took place,” said the chief.
Wilkes said he didn’t even realize he had been stabbed until he had retreated from the fight.
“I got in my jeep and realized I was soaked in blood. It was squirting out of my chest, so I went straight to the police department,” he said.
Wilkes said he was discharged from the Marines Corps in 2002 and was able to identify his alleged attacker to police as a fellow serviceman currently enlisted in the U.S. Army, although he could not recall his full name Thursday morning.
Police have not yet named anyone involved in the incident, except for the victim, Wilkes.
The Norwich Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault and Angelino said he had not ruled out the possibility that either side or both could face charges.