Trending
PARKERSBURG -- A Parkersburg man was hospitalized after being struck in the face with a sharp object Tuesday night, police said.
According to a release from the Parkersburg Police Department, officers responded around 9 p.m. Tuesday to East and Seventh streets, where Robert Cunningham, 33, said he'd been assaulted by James Michael Ashwell, 29, of Vienna.
Both men had been staying near the old marble factory in the area, said Police Chief Joe Martin. It's a site frequented by homeless and transient individuals, he said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Wood County Magistrate Court, a confrontation arose because Ashwell's wife had been in a tent with Cunningham. The complaint says Ashwell struck the other man multiple times in the face with a sharp object, resulting in Cunningham's nose being "partially amputated" and several teeth knocked out.
Martin said a machete was recovered at the site that seems to be consistent with the injuries. However, that has not been conclusively determined.
Officers searched the area of the marble factory and found Ashwell and his wife in a tent.
Ashwell was arrested on a charge of malicious wounding, the release says. His wife was detained for questioning but will not face charges, Martin said.
Cunningham was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital, where a spokeswoman said Wednesday he was in fair condition.
Ashwell was arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court and is being held on a $50,000 bond at the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.