Poplar Bluff man stabbed 18 times in Christmas Day attack

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The quick actions of a witness and emergency personnel are credited with saving the life of a man stabbed 18 times Christmas morning.

Tarcavisa Quinnitae Reynolds, 29, spoke to police Monday for the first time since he was attacked in his home with a steak knife. He is in intensive care at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.

Reynolds identified his room­mate, Kenneth Lee Jones, 61, as his attacker, said Capt. Mike Elliott of the Poplar Bluff Police Department.

Jones was arrested Friday on suspicion of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, according to police reports. He is being held at the Butler County Jail.

"Mr. Reynolds was stabbed 18 times, in the chest, abdomen and back," said Elliott, adding most of wounds were six inches deep.

Officers received a call about 7 a.m. Friday from a man who said he had witnessed a stabbing.

The witness, Brice Harley, 24, of O'Fallon, Mo., took officers to Reynolds' residence. They knocked on the front door several times before Jones answered, and Jones appeared to have blood on his clothing, Elliott said.

According to the police report, Jones showed the officers to the kitchen of the residence where they saw Reynolds unconscious on the kitchen floor, his shirt soaked with blood.

Reynolds was taken by ambulance to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where he underwent several hours of surgery and is expected to need more, Elliott said.

"I commend the witness for his quick actions, the quick response of Poplar Bluff police officers and EMS and the hard work and dedication by medical staff, which is undoubtedly why this is not a homicide," said police chief Danny Whiteley.

Even a 10-minute delay in treatment could have made a difference for Reynolds, said Elliott.

Officers say Jones initially told them an unknown man broke into the home, stabbed Reynolds and then fled.

"The blood-spatter evidence didn't support this story and subsequent interviews with the witness are how we ended up with the complete story," Elliott said.

In Harley's statement to officers, he recounts waking up on the living room couch after hearing a loud noise. He then saw Jones stabbing Reynolds in a bedroom, Harley said.

Police found a steak knife on the kitchen floor beside Reynolds and say that is likely the weapon used in the attack. About $30 in cash was also found in the house. No drugs were recovered, according to officers.

Reynolds has not yet been able to give a full interview about the incident, Elliott said.