The Woodward News

Local News

July 8, 2008

Stabbing in Laverne under investigation

Last week marked an unusual spike in violence in a small Western Oklahoma town known to be somewhere one can generally count on getting peace of mind along with a piece of pie.

But late Thursday night, the town of Laverne was the scene of a stabbing that sent one Laverne resident to the hospital and had local authorities roving the normally quiet community throughout the night for a juvenile said tobe involved in the crime.

According to Harper County Sheriff’s Deputy Derick Seevers, some time around midnight, Thursday, July 3, a fight broke out at a Laverne residence, which involved 38-year-old Donald Lovell and a Woodward juvenile.

“I was called out at about 1:30 a.m. and, then additionally I called out the sheriff and another Harper County deputy,” Seevers said.

Seevers said after the fight broke out, it moved to the street where the stabbing took place and law enforcement was called.

He said the juvenile male who was allegedly involved in the fight ran from the scene before law enforcement could arrive.

However, Laverne police officers arrived in time to see the suspect and the direction he ran, Seevers said. “They provided us with a description and general direction.”

Seevers said Lovell was taken by Harper County Emergency Medical Services to Newman Memorial Hospital in Shattuck.

“Lovell received close to 100 stitches throughout his body,” Seevers said. “I was informed he was released the next day.”

Nearly one hour after responding to the stabbing call and beginning the search for the juvenile who had fled the scene, Seevers said, a female driver was spotted in Laverne.

The female driver, also a juvenile, had one Native American male in the font seat with her and one Native American male in the back seat, who matched the description of the juvenile male for whom they were searching, Seevers said.

“I stopped them on the 100 block of South Texas,” Seevers said.

At present there have been no arrests made with regard to the stabbing.

However the juvenile female who was driving with the male juvenile thought to have been involved in the stabbing was charged with one count of possession of marijuana, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of possession of a controlled, dangerous substance and one count of a minor in possession of 3.2 percent beer, Seevers said.

The matter is still under investigation, Seevers said.

Another crime that originated in Laverne turned dangerous last week when two Laverne youths stopped and picked up another juvenile traveling through the town.

According to Seevers, the youths had offered to give the subject a ride but where threatened at gun point by the person they picked up, at which time they drove the subject to Oklahoma City.

“At this point, we-together with other agencies, are trying to figure out if the kidnapping part-with the gun-happened while they were still in Harper County,” Seevers said.

He said that will determine who initiates the investigation into the alleged crime.

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