Poplar Bluff man charged in stabbing

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man was charged Wednesday with assaulting another man by stabbing him twice in an apparent dispute involving an alleged stolen vehicle.

Jason Lynn Stewart, 37, of the 200 block of County Road 508 was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action by Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Barbour.

Stewart remained in the Butler County jail Thursday morning, where he was being held on $250,000 cash or surety bond. He was expected to be arraigned on the charges Thursday by Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth.

The complaint on file with the court alleges on Tuesday, Stewart "knowingly caused serious physical injury to Richard Roles Jr. by stabbing him" and did so "by, with and through the use, assistance and aid of a deadly weapon, to-wit: a knife."

Roles Jr., according to Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs, was treated at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

"None of his injuries were life threatening," Dobbs said. "The knife only penetrated about one and one-half inches into his back. It didn't appear it penetrated his ribs."

Dobbs said Roles Jr. suffered two wounds, and the knife was embedded in one of the wounds when he was taken to the hospital.

Roles Jr. was stabbed at about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 200 block of County Road 5351 he shared with his father, Richard Roles Sr., and other family members.

According to Sgt. Eddie Redmond's probable cause affidavit, at the time the incident began, Richard Roles Sr. and Shirley Ray were seated in the living room, while Roles Jr. and Nicholas Beros were in bedrooms.

"They heard someone pound on the front door, and as Mr. Roles went to open it, the door opened," Redmond said. "A man that they only knew as Jason started coming in."

Roles Sr., Redmond said, stopped Stewart from opening the door fully.

"Jason began yelling at him, so he started trying to close the door, telling him to leave," Redmond said. "Mr. Roles was unable to get the door closed …"

Having heard the yelling, Beros entered the room and helped his father close the door, Redmond said. "Once they got it closed, Jason kicked the door a few times," he said.

At that point, Redmond said, Roles Jr. entered the room, pushed his father and brother out of the way and went outside.

"Nicholas said that Jason was almost to his truck when Richard Jr. went outside," Redmond said. "Nicholas saw Jason turn around and walk over to where Richard Jr. was standing by the mail box."

Stewart and Roles Jr. reportedly began yelling, then "they started fighting," Redmond said.

When Beros went outside to help his brother, "he saw Jason moving his arm in a stabbing motion at his brother's back," Redmond said. "Nicholas said that he ran up and punched Jason in the face one time, knocking him off his brother."

Beros told deputies Stewart then got in his truck and left, heading eastbound on County Road 5351.

"Nicholas said that as he was helping his brother, Richard Jr. asked him to get the knife out of the back of his shirt," Redmond said. "He said that he grabbed the knife, thinking it was only hanging from his shirt, and pulled on it.

"When he felt resistance, he let go."

Redmond said the knife was lodged in Roles Jr.'s back close to his spine. What Redmond described as a small wound was on his side close to his left triceps.

While on the scene, Redmond said, a neighbor pulled into the Roles' home. "[She] told me that Jason Stewart had dropped off his 3-year-old son at 'the shack' that is in her yard," he said.

The woman, Redmond said, reported having contacted Stewart, asking him what he needed.

Redmond said the woman heard "Jason say that he just stabbed one of the brothers, after which he left his son there, got in his truck and left."

Stewart subsequently was arrested in the area of County Road 504 and Route W, and taken to the Butler County Sheriff's Department.

"[Stewart] was questioned, but didn't wish to cooperate with us," Dobbs said. " … According to the victim, it was over a confrontation involving the suspect and the victim's brother [Beros] with regards to a truck that his brother allegedly stole from [Stewart]."