BEDFORD – A Bedford woman was arrested after she allegedly stabbed a man during a domestic dispute Tuesday afternoon.
Bedford police arrested 47-year-old Fonda Drehobl on charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon, domestic battery causing serious bodily injury, aggravated battery, and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
Police arrived in the 900 block of 8th Street following a call, which claimed a woman had exited a home in the area screaming for someone to call 911, saying someone had been stabbed.
Police found the victim, 56-year-old Michael Dugherty, as he was exiting the residence on 8th Street, which officers said was formerly a halfway house but now frequently a place for squatters to stay.
Officers asked Daugherty, who suffered a stab wound to the left side of his rib area, to sit on the home’s front staircase to prevent further unnecessary movement and potentially more bleeding, they said.
Daugherty told police he had been stabbed by Drehobl. He told police the two had been seeing each other for the last 18 months and that they both were staying at the home in different bedrooms.
Soon thereafter, a chest seal was attached to the puncture in Daugherty’s rib area, to slow the bleeding. He was later transported by an IU LifeLine to IU Health Bloomington Hospital for treatment.
Police found a serrated kitchen knife with a 4 inch blade at the bottom of the staircase leading into the residence, which was covered in blood. Officers also found blood droplets in the entry hallway.
While searching the home, police found more blood in a bedroom and the kitchen area near the refrigerator. Police applied for a search warrant of the home, which was granted by Superior Court II Judge Bob Cline. Officers then gathered evidence from the home, including the discovery of more blood on the front door and the entryway floor.
Drehobl was transported to the Bedford Police Department to be questioned. After officers read her Miranda Rights and she requested a lawyer and the questioning was terminated. She was transported to the Lawrence County Jail.
Detectives then traveled to IU Health Bloomington Hospital to speak to Daugherty.
He told police prior to the stabbing he left to go get some tobacco and rolling papers. He said Drehobl had given him $12 so he could pick up some items for her. When he returned, he gave Drehobl the items and her change. Drehobl got upset because her change was less than a dollar. Then, he said she started hitting him in the head and then proceeded to the kitchen where she threw a plate at him, then grabbed a knife and stabbed him.
After stabbing him in the side, she removed the knife and ran outside. At some point he then ventured outside to get help.
Daugherty told police the two had argued in the past, but none this serious. He then described Drehobl as “nuts” and said he didn’t know why she stabbed him.
The doctor told police they were going to clean and stitch the wound and that he anticipated Daughtery being released.
Witnesses at the scene told police they saw Drehobl exit the home screaming “I stabbed him, I stabbed him”. They then said they witnessed Daughtery exit the home saying “why did you stab me?”
