Siblings charged in case involving stabbing of man, dog

Dec. 21—A sister and a brother were charged with assault and animal cruelty after allegedly attacking a man and his fiancée's dog, police said.

Authorities said a woman got in a fight with the father of her child. During the fight, the woman's brother got involved and stabbed the man, then stabbed the man's fiancée's dog, police said.

Lavitira Lashea Edmond, 29, of Frederick, was charged with first-degree assault, conspiracy of first-degree assault, animal cruelty, aggravated cruelty to animals and two counts of second-degree assault, online court records show.

There was no attorney listed for Edmond as of Wednesday afternoon.

Her brother, Dalonte Dunston, 31, of Frederick, has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, conspiracy of first-degree assault and aggravated cruelty to animals, Frederick Police Department Lt. Jonathan Holler said in an interview Wednesday. A warrant is out for Dunston's arrest, he said.

At around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, charging documents say, officers with the Frederick Police Department responded to 90 Waverley Drive for a report of a stabbing. Police found a man on the ground, bleeding. He had two deep cuts in his back — one above his left kidney and the other at the center of his back.

He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, charging documents say.

According to charging documents, the man was having a dispute with Edmond that lasted all day. The two have a child together.

Later in the day, around 4:30 p.m., Edmond went to 90 Waverley Drive, where the man lived, charging documents say. Edmond told the man to come out of the house, which he did, along with his fiancée and her dog.

Edmond, Dunston and another man were in a white 2018 Honda Accord and when she saw the child's father, she yelled at him to come to her. The man approached, and Dunston got out of the Honda, charging documents say.

Dunston ran up to the father, and the two started fighting, according to charging documents. Edmond and another man in the car later joined in on the assault, charging documents say.

Charging documents do not mention the other person's name, and police did not indicate if he also was charged.

Edmond pepper-sprayed her child's father and continued to hit and scratch him as Dunston went back to the car and got a knife, charging documents say.

Dunston stabbed the father twice, charging documents say.

When the fiancée's dog approached, Dunston stabbed the dog in the mouth and face, according to charging documents.

The condition of the dog was not given in charging documents.

Holler said Edmond's animal cruelty charges stem from the fact her actions are the primary reason the dog was harmed.

Edmond, Dunston and the other man fled the scene.

Charges against were handed up by a Frederick County grand jury on Friday.

Other charges handed up by the grand jury Friday include:

— Brandon Herberth Joya-Euceda, 19, of Thurmont, with first-degree assault, conspiracy of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and three counts of second-degree assault. A co-defendant, Luis Angel Ochoa, 19, of Thurmont, on first-degree assault, conspiracy of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault.

— Tyler Mason Smith-Andrews, 23, of Frederick, on 10 counts of malicious destruction of property, four counts each of general second-degree burglary and fourth-degree burglary of a storehouse, three counts of fourth-degree burglary as theft, two counts of fourth-degree burglary of tools, and one count each of attempted second-degree burglary, theft between $100 and $1,500, theft between $25,000 and $100,000, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and unauthorized taking of a motor vehicle.

— James Lewis Eldridge, 55, of Frederick, on general second-degree burglary, fourth-degree burglary of a storehouse, fourth-degree burglary as theft, and theft less than $100.

— Derrick John Willoughby, 24, of Frederick, on first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

— Marcus Gregory Marshall, 37, of Hagerstown, on first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, resisting or interfering with arrest and three counts of second-degree assault.

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