Santa Cruz stabbing suspect pleads not guilty
UPDATE: 2/8/2019 3:26 p.m. The man accused of stabbing 2 people in Santa Cruz pleaded not guilty in court Friday.
Dennis Wells stabbed one man in the head another in the neck on January 25th. He faces at least one charge of attempted murder.
Wells will be back in court on March 5th.
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26-year-old Dennis Wells is facing an attempted murder charge according to the Santa Cruz Police Department.
Wells was arrested for stabbing two people in Santa Cruz on Jan. 25. One of the men stabbed was released from the hospital, according to Santa Cruz Police.
UPDATE: 1/29/2019 4:20 p.m. The suspect in a violent double stabbing in Santa Cruz has been arrested.
26-year-old Dennis Wells was wanted for stabbing two men on Jan. 25. The victims were stabbed in the neck and the head. Both suffered life threatening injuries, but one has been released from the hospital, while the other remains in critical condition.
On Tuesday afternoon, Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills confirmed Wells was in custody.
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The suspect in Friday night’s violent double stabbing in Santa Cruz is no stranger to local law enforcement.
Over the past six years court records show 26 year old Dennis Wells has had at least ten other run in’s with the law.
Some more violent than others. His first, according to court documents was an unlawful public fight, where he was charged for assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful fighting in public, but the court dismissed the assault charge.
Outside of a felony fraud case, Wells was also arrested less than a year ago for felony assault and kidnaping an elderly person with intent to rape or rob along with Robbery and criminal threats.
He was charged with five separate charges, three of those dismissed by a judge. And was sentenced to 180 days in jail.
He was out of custody by late June and sentenced to 36 months probation.
Something some Santa Cruz resident’s I spoke with are blaming this on a broken justice system, “
“I mean It’s catch and release here. All these people passed 47 and 57 prop and didn’t even read it mostly criminals voted for that to pass because you know in and out in and out, back at it. Stealing, thieving, raping, and possibly murder here pretty soon, ” says Ryan Koontz.
On Friday night, police say he stabbed two men, one in the neck and one in the head.
Both suffered life threatening injuries, but one has been released from the hospital, while the other remains in critical condition.
Lt. Warren Barry with the Santa Cruz Police Department says they have been in contact with Wells after the stabbing over social media and he has made mention of possible turning himself in, “we have been talking with witnesses, talking with his family, he has been in some communication with us. He’s made mention on social media that he was going to turn himself in, however he has not done so yet.”
