Published January 15, 2009 06:12 am - Four men were charged Wednesday night with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts after a drug deal gone bad led to a Race Street fight and the stabbing of a city man, police said.
4 charged in stabbing
Fifth suspect still at large
By Rick Dandes
The Daily Item
SUNBURY-- Four men were charged Wednesday night with multiple felony and misdemeanor counts after a drug deal gone bad led to a Race Street fight and the stabbing of a city man, police said.
A fifth suspect remains at large.
The four were arraigned Wednesday night at the Sunbury Police Department via video teleconferencing with District Judge Carl Rice.
Police said Daniel Price, of 155 Reagan St., tried to buy a bag of marijuana from Joseph Tyler Rice, 19, of 809 N. Fifth St. Rice didn't have the marijuana with him to complete the deal, but still grabbed $20 from Price and stabbed him with a 4-inch box-cutter-type knife, police said.
Price suffered an 8-centimeter laceration to his left forearm and had a fracture to his ulna from the knife blade striking it.
Price was taken for treatment to Sunbury Community Hospital, where he stayed the night before being interviewed by Sunbury police Detective Travis Bremigen and officer Christopher Blase.
Price identified Joseph Tyler Rice as the man who stabbed him, police said. He also identified Joshua Bonilla, of Sunbury, as one of the five men surrounding him at the intended drug deal.
Joseph Tyler Rice was charged with aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, both first-degree felonies; criminal conspiracy to commit simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, both second-degree misdemeanors; and simple possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor.
Receiving the same charges as Joseph Tyler Rice were Bonilla; Edwin Santana Jr., 18, 122 N. 12th St.; Tyrone Young, 22, a Harrisburg resident who is staying at 527 Race St.; and William Morales, 21, of 516 Market St.
Morales is on the run, police said.
By 6 p.m. Wednesday, Young and Bonilla were in custody. Warrants for the arrest of Rice and Santana were issued by District Judge Rice at 7 p.m., and they were quickly picked up by Sunbury police.
Rice was first to be arraigned, followed in order by Santana, Bonilla and Young.
All four men told the judge they were unemployed.
In view of the seriousness of the charges, District Judge Rice said Joseph Tyler Rice, Bonilla, Santana and Young were to be remanded in lieu of $200,000 bail each to Northumberland County Prison.
Because the prison is at capacity, the four were taken at 9 p.m. to Snyder County Jail. They are all scheduled to appear before Judge Rice in preliminary hearings on at 10 a.m. Tuesday.