Man indicted for Washington St. stabbing

Van Wert independent

An Illinois man has been indicted by the Van Wert County grand jury for a stabbing incident that occurred early the morning of June 23.

David Crawford Hecox, 23, of Pittsfield, Illinois, was indicted on a charge of attempted murder, a felony of the first degree. He will likely be arraigned sometime next week in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Officers from the Van Wert Police Department had been called to 422 N Washington St. at 3 a.m. June 23 on a report that Joshua Dangler, 34, was stabbed in the neck. Officers arrived on scene and observed a laceration to the left side of Dangler’s neck and to his right hand. Dangler was then transported by Van Wert Fire Department EMS to Van Wert Health for treatment.

Witnesses advised Hecox came to the residence after leaving a local bar and allegedly started to use racial epithets, so he was told to leave. Dangler went outside with Hecox and returned bleeding, advising he was stabbed in the neck.

The Van Wert Police Department investigated the incident and discovered Hecox worked for a wind turbine company as a road flagger.

The Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office then accompanied Van Wert police detectives and located Hecox working at a job site. He reportedly had a utility knife and blood on his clothing when officers located him, while the vehicle he drove also contained blood.

Hecox was taken into custody and initially charged with felonious assault, a felony of the second degree. He is currently incarcerated in the Van Wert County Correctional Facility.