Grants Pass man held after Wednesday evening incident
By Bert Etling, Ashland.news
A 41-year-old Grants Pass man was arrested for allegedly stabbing another man on the Ashland Plaza Wednesday evening.
Ashland police responding to a report of a knife fight arrived at the Plaza shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday, where witnesses identified a man on a bicycle on Water Street as the stabber, according to court documents. Officers arrested Francisco Valenzuela, who was booked into Jackson County Jail, where he was remained in custody Thursday afternoon on a charge of second-degree assault with bail set at $100,000.
Arresting officers reported Valenzuela had a knife in a sheath on his right hip. He had been arguing and “acting aggressively” toward a female on the Plaza prior to the stabbing, the report said, and after she told him to leave, a bystander who came to her aid was stabbed.
The victim, a 28-year-old male who had been stabbed in the chest, was taken by Ashland Fire & Rescue to Rogue Regional Medical Center, where he remained in stable condition on Thursday, according to an Ashland Police Department news release.
Officers from the Talent and Phoenix police departments, as well as deputies from the Jackson County Sherriff’s Office, also responded to the Plaza.
Ashland detectives are continuing to investigate the case. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Lindsey Rochon-Evertt at 541-482-5211.
Email Ashland.news Executive Editor Bert Etling at betling@ashland.news or call or text him at 541-631-1313.
June 24 update: Time of incident corrected; it happened after 10 p.m., not 10 a.m.
