OOLITIC – An Oolitic couple was arrested on Sunday, May 5th, after Lawrence County Central Dispatch received a 911 call from 54-year-old Kenneth Chenault reporting his wife had stabbed him with a spoon.
When Sgt. Robin Compton and Indiana State Police Trooper Chance Humprey responded at 3:24 p.m. to the 800 block of Smith Avenue in Oolitic.
Tracy Chenault, 54, told police she and Kenneth got into a verbal dispute, and Kenneth had struck her with a wood dowel rod, hitting her on the wrist. When she took the dowel rod away, it struck him in the face, causing a bleeding injury.
Police could not locate the dowel road.
Police found Kenneth in his bedroom, sitting on his bed. He had suffered a bloody nose. On the floor was a spilled liquid and a turned-over folding table.
Kenneth told police Tracy was mad at him after finding he had taken a soda from the refrigerator and was drinking it. He said Tracy swung at him and missed and then stabbed him with the backside of a spoon handle. Police never found the utensil. Police did note that when they arrived, Tracy was in her car eating a small container of oatmeal with a spoon.
The officers asked Kenneth if he had struck Tracy with the wooden dowel rod. He said he was sitting on the bed when Tracy “started in on him”. He said he was holding the dowel road because he was making a makeshift cane and was about to stand up when Tracy jumped on him, causing him to fall back onto the bed. He stated he was defending himself against Tracy’s attack.
Officers asked both if they wanted to file battery affidavits and pursue charges and both did.
Police said Kenneth is disabled. He has difficulty talking and requires a walking device to move around.
Police have responded to the Chenault house four times on domestic disputes since March 27th.
Kenneth was arrested on a charge of domestic battery. Tracy was arrested on two counts of domestic battery and battery on a person with a disability.
