First responders went to the SK Battery Plant on Highway 411 southeast of Kingston at around 7:14 on Friday morning about a possible stabbing.
Two plant safety managers reportedly observed two employees in an altercation. One of them, the suspect, purportedly punched the coworker, causing him to fall. When the coworker got up to defend himself, the suspect reportedly pulled out a razor knife and struck the coworker in the face, leaving a large, deep laceration over his left eye. Upon helping the victim, the managers lost sight of the suspect.
Several deputies and investigators attempted to locate the suspect after getting word that he was still on the scene at the incident location. Still, they were unsuccessful in locating him there. Radio traffic indicated that the suspect was at the other end of the construction site, so several resources went over there. Once at the other end, intel suggested that the suspect had jumped the fence to the construction site and ran into the woods between the site and Hardin Bridge Road.
With the few patrol deputies available, they established a perimeter while investigators continued the search inside the site. K-9 Deputy Athos and a drone operator began a more thorough search for the suspect, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
A deputy stated that the suspect’s identification card was possibly fake and that the information may not be correct. The suspect’s positive identity is still unknown at this time.