An Ashland man faces multiple charges in connection with a stabbing that occurred Thursday night.
Michael Collins, 35, is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and tampering with physical evidence.
The incident occurred in the 600 block of Cherry Street, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.
Officers talked with a 72-year-old man who had been taken to a local hospital and claimed he had been stabbed by his niece's boyfriend, Collins.
The man told police he and Collins were in Collins' vehicle and got into an argument, during which Collins pulled out knife and stabbed the man in the right thigh. The two went back to the man's home and continued to argue while the man tried to tend to his injury, he told police. Eventually Collins approached him from behind and stabbed him four or five more times, leaving lacerations to his back, the right side of his neck and the area around his right eye, the man said. Collins reportedly demanded the man give him money and his debit card and stole $120 in cash.
Officers located Collins' vehicle in the 2200 block of Southridge Drive on Friday morning. They stopped him and took him into custody.
When questioned by authorities, Collins reportedly said the incident was in self-defense. He claimed the other man had produced the knife during their argument. At one point, Collins said, he pushed the other man against a wall to restrict his movement, which caused the knife to fall to the ground, leading to a struggle between the two. Collins reportedly claimed he retrieved the knife and stabbed the victim, who was also trying to reach for the knife. He also admitted to stealing money from the victim but claimed he took only $6.
This article was edited at 2:35 p.m. July 7, 2020, to correct Collins' city of residence.