Staff Report

Sarah Catherine Stout

NAPPANEE — A Nappanee woman was recently arrested after allegedly using a knife to threaten a man while a young child was present.

Sarah Catherine Stout, 32, 22 M-Dee Acres Lot 1, Nappanee, is charged with domestic battery with a deadly weapon and intimidation with a deadly weapon, both level 5 felonies; and domestic battery with a child under 16 present, a level 6 felony.

On Feb. 16, a Nappanee Police officer responded to a domestic dispute. The officer was told that Stout was hit by a vehicle and needed medical care. Upon arrival, the officer saw Stout sitting on a sidewalk with a large kitchen knife near her.

According to court documents, Stout said she was at a home with a man and child when the man started a verbal argument. The argument continued until the man placed the child in a vehicle. Stout told officers she stood in front of the vehicle to prevent it from leaving, but claimed it hit her and caused her to fall to the ground. She was taken to a local hospital.

A Department of Child Services worker at the home during the incident was interviewed by officers on Feb. 23.

The DCS worker said she was visiting because the man reported possible child neglect at Stout’s home. The man and the DCS worker went to the home and saw the child laying alone on a kitchen floor.

The man had a key to the home and entered in order to tend to the child. Stout then emerged from a bedroom, leading to a verbal altercation. As the situation escalated, the DCS worker left the home and heard the man ask Stout to drop a knife several times. While the man and child left in a vehicle, Stout stabbed the driver’s side door with a knife. The vehicle made slight contact with Stout, who fell to the ground and, according to the DCS worker, started pretending as if she was hit and run over.

Stout told police she had a knife to protect herself and intended to stab the man if he harmed her. She also said the man kicked her several times before she grabbed the knife. Stout said she had no injuries from being hit by the vehicle.

On Feb. 28, officers interviewed the man, who said he went to check on the child on Feb. 15 after receiving several text messages from Stout threatening self-harm. Upon arrival at the home, the man found the child with dried feces and noticed the residence was in disarray. This led to the man calling DCS and informing them of the poor living conditions.

The man said he and the DCS worker went to the home on Feb. 16 and Stout became upset about DCS’s presence. Stout grabbed a knife and pushed it into the man’s stomach, but the knife did not penetrate the fabric of the coat. The man said he kicked his leg at Stout to keep her away while he took the child. He said his vehicle’s driver slowly left the scene while Stout began yelling that they hit her.

Stout was booked in the Kosciusko County Jail on Oct. 12, with an $11,000 surety and cash bond.