Springfield Township teen recovering from stabbing

    Oakland County Sheriff’s Office detectives are presenting the case to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office and seeking attempted murder charges against the suspect. He is being held in the Oakland County Jail pending arraignment.

    The 14-year-old victim is listed in critical but stable condition. She was scheduled to undergo surgery this morning.

    “Meeting in person with people you have met online can be extremely dangerous,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “You have no idea of who that person really is or their motivation. Anytime you meet someone via the internet, it is always a very good idea to do so in a public setting and preferably have someone else with you.

    “Do not share personal information like where you live or other items that will allow a person to locate or track you. In this situation, this was a juvenile and for so many reasons meeting someone in person is a dangerous choice and we always discourage it.”

    Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 6000 block of N. Bay in Springfield Township at approximately 12:11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, on a report of a juvenile female who had been stabbed multiple times. Upon arrival, deputies found the 14-year-old girl on the floor of the residence bleeding from several stab wounds to her back and mid-section.

    The victim’s parents were not home at the time the incident occurred. A younger sibling also was in the residence asleep when the stabbing took place. The victim was able to call her parents to advise them of the situation and they rushed home to her aid and dialed 911.

    According to the victim’s statement, she and the suspect met on a social media website. He discussed coming to Michigan from his home in Monmouth, Illinois to visit her. When he arrived at the residence, the suspect became angry when he learned they were not going to engage in sexual activity and stabbed her multiple times with an 8-inch knife he had purchased on Tuesday in White Lake Township.

    The suspect then fled from the residence after the assault and was arrested a short time later after calling 911 and speaking to the Waterford Township Police dispatch. A Waterford Township police officer responded to the suspect’s location and took him into custody without incident. The suspect was then turned over to sheriff’s detectives and admitted that he was angry the girl would not have sex with him and therefore he assaulted her with a knife.