Two men face felony assault charges after they allegedly tried to bludgeon and stab another man during a fight.The men, Jessie James Strothers, 40, and Gary Lee Lankford Jr., 38, were indicted on charges of aggravated assault, resisting stop, carrying a weapon and introduction of drugs into the county jail.The charges come after McMinnville police officer Jared Jacobs arrived at a disturbance to find one man bleeding and two other armed men nearby.“I saw the victim bleeding and after asking him he stated the man in flannel hit him in the head with a stick,” Jacobs said, noting he found Lankford with a baton in his hand when he arrived. “Mr. Lankford refused orders to drop the baton and place his hands on his head.”The victim went on to say the other man, identified as Strothers, tried to cut him during the fight. The officer found the knife at the scene.Both men were placed in custody and taken to jail, both for the alleged assault and due to the fact they appeared to be under the influence and were deemed to be a hazard to themselves and the general public.
Man beaten, nearly stabbed during fight