Day-trip to casino with friends ends in Tri-City man stabbed numerous times
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- A West Richland man was stabbed multiple times outside Othello after a car argument.
- Joseph A. Abbott, 30, is held in Adams County jail on suspicion of first‑degree assault.
- The victim was flown to Kadlec Regional Medical Center after initial treatment at Othello.
A West Richland man suffered several stab wounds to the chest when he got into an argument with friends on a car trip to Spokane this week.
Joseph A. Abbott, 30, of Franklin County, is jailed on suspicion of first-degree assault after he allegedly lashed out and stabbed Ryan J. Kendall, 23, at least four times, said court documents.
The stabbing happened Tuesday, June 23, when Abbott, Kendall and Kendall’s girlfriend were returning from a trip to the Northern Quest Casino about 7:30 p.m.
The three told police they’d driven to the casino earlier in the day, stayed several hours and were headed back on rural roads through Lind, court documents said.
Kendall was in the front passenger seat when Abbott and his girlfriend began arguing. The couple switched seats, but the arguing continued.
Kendall told police Abbott became jealous and upset about a comment he made about his girlfriend, said the documents.
Abbott allegedly pulled out a folding knife and stabbing him in the chest several times.
Abbott then drove several more miles while his girlfriend applied pressure to the wound. They dropped Kendall off at Othello Community Hospital and drove away, said investigators.
Kendall later told deputies he didn’t want Abbott to get in trouble. His injuries were severe enough that he needed to be flown about 50 miles away to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.
Abbott and his girlfriend abandoned the 2013 Toyota Corolla on a rural road west of Othello and walked to a nearby home to borrow a phone to call for a ride, said court documents. The Adams County Sheriff’s Department had been notified by hospital officials about the stabbing and posted at 10:30 p.m. that they were looking for Abbott.
Deputies were initially worried that Abbott’s girlfriend could be in danger and were searching for her by tracking her cellphone signal.
They located the phone signal near Highway 17 and Highway 260 in northern Franklin County about the same time that the girlfriend’s mother called about 10:40 p.m. to say that her daughter wanted to meet up with investigators, said court documents.
Deputies found the couple waiting at the Highway 17 intersection in Franklin County and ended up arresting Abbot and returning him to Adams County.
He is currently being held in the Adams County jail on suspicion of first-degree assault. He’s due in court on June 29.