SUMTER, S.C. — A Sumter man accused of slashing the throat of a teenage girl is now in custody, according to the Sumter Police Department.
On Thursday, Sumter police said they were searching for a man initially released on bond after allegedly slashing the throat of a 15-year-old girl.
According to police, officers were initially called to a home around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday after a 911 call from 39-year-old Jeremiah Charles Owings who said he had cut the girl's neck. Officers said they found him trying to stop the bleeding when they arrived.
Police said that they initially charged Owings with a felony, unlawful conduct toward a child, based on the evidence they had at the time, and arrested him.
Owings was ultimately released on a $5,000 bond on Monday before new information led to the charge being upgraded to attempted murder when it was "determined the suspect intended lethal harm when he slashed the girl with a folding blade."
In addition to attempted murder, Owings also faces charges of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and resisting law enforcement officers serving the legal process.
Three other children between the ages of six and 15 were at the location at the time of the incident, police said.
As for the teen he's accused of cutting, police say she was taken to a Columbia area hospital where she has undergone surgery. Police said the victim is expected to recover.