Teenager accused of stabbing in Hope will not be charged

No formal charges will be filed against a 17-year-old man accused of repeatedly stabbing a Hope resident.

Bartholomew County Attorney Lindsey Holden-Kay announced the decision Friday in reference to the Sept. 3 incident in the Goshen Meadows neighborhood of Hope.

Eric Douglas, 42, was stabbed multiple times in the back in the 100 block of Schaefer Court South, according to a news release from the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office.

The injured man was flown by medical helicopter to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, while the 17-year-old was taken into custody on a preliminary charge of assault causing serious injury.

On September 12, Bartholomew County Sheriff's spokesman Sergeant Dane Duke confirmed that Douglas had left the hospital.

A day later, Holden-Kay said that if charges were brought against the 17-year-old, the case would fall under the jurisdiction of Juvenile Court Judge Brittney Long and would not be transferred to adult court.

Few details have been released about the stabbing that occurred at 10:26 p.m. the day after Labor Day. Although Douglas lives in the neighborhood where he was stabbed, investigators have not confirmed that the incident occurred at his home.

The incident began as a minor domestic dispute between Douglas and another person, the news release said. The 17-year-old became involved in the scuffle when he entered and began stabbing Douglas, investigators said.

After questioning, the suspect was temporarily placed in custody at the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center in Columbus.