Lawrence man arrested after allegedly trying to stab another man; no injuries reported

Post updated at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27:

A Lawrence man was arrested after allegedly trying repeatedly to stab another man late Tuesday night, according to Lawrence police.

Officers were dispatched to a residence in the 700 block of North Third Street for a report of two men allegedly fighting in the street, Sgt. Drew Fennelly of the Lawrence Police Department said via email.

“When officers arrived on scene, no one was actively fighting, but they soon learned the suspect had come to the residence intending to stab the victim,” Fennelly said. “Witnesses reported the suspect had brandished a knife and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to stab the victim.”

The two men, a 46-year-old and a 38-year-old, were known to each other, Fennelly said. There were no injuries reported in the incident, Fennelly said.

Mark W. Hatfield, 46, was booked into the Douglas County jail after midnight Wednesday on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, jail records show. He was being held without bond as of Wednesday afternoon.

Prosecutors filed a charge of attempted aggravated battery, a midlevel-severity felony, against Hatfield. The charging document alleges that he swung and jabbed a knife at the other man while threatening to kill him.

He was set to have a first appearance in court and be formally charged Wednesday afternoon; however, a sergeant at the Douglas County jail told the judge via videoconference that Hatfield was refusing to come to court.

Judge Amy Hanley said she would set the case over to Thursday’s first appearance docket to give Hatfield a chance to change his mind. She said he will not have been in custody for 48 hours at that time, so she would let the judge tomorrow set Hatfield’s bond.

All arrestees and defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless and until they are convicted.

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