Ukiah Man Held to Answer in Sword Attack Over Pit Bull
Adam Smith said Blue, the dog, belong to him
A 23-year-old Ukiah man has been ordered to stand trial after authorities say he stabbed a man while trying to reclaim a dog he believed was his.
Adam Smith is charged with attempted murder and other felonies stemming from a Dec. 31 confrontation that left a 33-year-old man hospitalized, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing Feb. 26 in Mendocino County Superior Court.
Detectives testified that Smith and a friend, Pete Gonzales, arranged to meet Scott Wells at 995 South State Street in Ukiah. The meeting had been set up by Gonzales, who knew Wells. The three men walked together to a trash enclosure behind the building.
According to Detective Saul Perez, Smith later said he brought a sword for self-defense. “Mr. Smith believed that having the weapons present would deter a smart man from an altercation with them,” Perez said.
Detective Sgt. Jay Vanoven testified Gonzales had invited Wells to smoke methamphetamine.
“At some point Mr. Smith advised that he was armed with the sword and Mr. Gonzalez was armed with the blue machete,” Smith was holding the sword “up tight towards his chest with the blade pointed outwards” when he lunged and stabbed Wells in the chest, Perez said.
Vaonven testified Wells told investigators he grabbed the sword, wounding his hands, and struggled with Smith. During the struggle, Gonzales hit Wells in the back of the head with a machete.
Perez testified Smith said Gonzales then grabbed the pit bull, Blue, and the two men left the scene.
Police later located Smith at his home on East Gobbi Street. Perez described Smith as cooperative and said he agreed to return with him to the police station, where he gave a statement and was booked into jail.
“He informed me that he wanted to help law enforcement solve the incident that occurred the day prior,” Perez said.
Vanoven also testified that investigators determined the dog Blue had been given to Wells by its previous owner, a woman Smith identified as his fiance.
After hearing the testimony, Judge Victoria Shanahan said there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.