Stabbing suspect pleads not guilty
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (April 8, 2022) – Tuscarawas County Prosecutor Ryan Styer was providing more details about the stabbing in New Philadelphia Wednesday evening during the suspect’s initial court appearance.
59-year-old Adam Soto of New Philadelphia is charged with a single count of felonious assault for the incident at a home in 200-block of Front Avenue SW. Styer shared the 50-year-old victim’s account of the attack during a hearing in New Philadelphia Municipal Court Friday morning.
“That Mr. Soto was at the residence, was agitated, called him some disparaging names and pulled a knife, stabbed him in the jaw and the back.”
Soto pleaded not guilty to the assault charge and had his bond set at $100,000, although he won’t be released if he posts bail because of a hold order from the community corrections office.
Soto’s criminal record includes convictions for domestic violence and an incident last year where he struck a man in the back of the head multiple times with a golf club. He also spent six months in jail for a high-profile animal cruelty case in which he was accused of killing his pet bulldog.
A preliminary hearing in the stabbing case will take place sometime next week. Styer was awaiting an update on the condition of the victim, who was transported to Akron General Hospital for treatment.