Madras man, already in jail, charged in stabbing last month at homeless camp

(Update: Formal charges filed, initial court appearance; adding name)

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A 40-year-old Madras man who was already in jail on a parole violation charge has been charged with assault in connection with a stabbing last month at a homeless camp in Madras, police said Monday.

Sampson Tyler Price now faces charges of first- and second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence, Officer Ryan Kathrein said. He was being held at the Jefferson County Jail without bail after an initial court appearance Monday afternoon, and is due back in court Thursday afternoon, to be arraigned on an expected formal indictment.

The charges against Price stem from a stabbing the afternoon of Monday, September 11 at a homeless camp near SW Fourth and Maple streets in Madras. Officers responded to St. Charles Madras, where a man was being treated for non-life-threatening stab wounds.

Officers interviewed the victim and several others who were waiting at the hospital, also searching the incident scene and interviewing several people at the camp.

Police Chief Tim Plummer said, “Our officers interviewed several witnesses and were eventually able to identify a potential suspect. When Officer (Ryan) Kathrein discovered the suspect was in custody at the jail on other charges, he seized the opportunity to interview him and was able to charge him in this case.”

Police said last month that the victim in the stabbing, Davis Stwyer Jr., 34, was arrested as a suspect sought in a domestic violence case the prior week in south Madras that brought out the region’s SWAT Team. His arrival at the hospital for treatment in the Sept. 11 stabbing prompted a brief lockout at the hospital.

Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact Officer Kathrein at 541-475-2424, extension 208.