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WASHINGTON — A fight in a Walmart parking lot on Sunday over texts sent to a woman left a Walmart employee with stab wounds and another man with criminal charges.
Christopher Michael Helmbrecht, 22, was charged on Monday with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony; and possession of a deadly weapon with intent to assault, a class A misdemeanor.
The incident happened at the Walmart at 625 W. Telegraph Street in Washington, Washington County, around 1:00 p.m. Charging documents said Helmbrecht admitted he stabbed another man in the back.
When police arrived, responding to a "possible family fight," they found a victim with several stab wounds that were bleeding but "not deep" and were told a white Chevy truck had left the scene.
The victim told police, according to charging documents, that he was attempting to help a woman leave an abusive relationship with Helmbrecht, then Helmmbrecht had found text messages between them and the two men then arranged in texts to meet at Walmart where the victim was working.
The man said Helmbrecht got out of his truck "with the visible intent to fight" and he decided to attempt to take Helmbrecht to the ground when he was stabbed with something sharp, the documents said.
Officers found Helmbrecht soon after the incident and took him into custody. The man admitted he was upset seeing his girlfriend's texts with the victim and agreed to meet the victim. He said when he left his truck it appeared the other man wanted to fight.
Police said in the charging documents that Helmbrecht said he had a retractable utility knife in his hand and stabbed the victim in the back before attempting to scare him and a woman by driving his truck toward them.
Helmbrecht appeared in court on Tuesday and his next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4.
