An uninvited guest to a wedding reception eventually stabbed a patron this past weekend at O’Malley’s Pub in Weston, Mo.
On Monday, Jan. 12, Platte County prosecutor Eric Zahnd charged Mark Dewayne Cordell with a Class B felony of assault and unclassified felony of armed criminal action for his role in a physical altercation that turned violent. The North Kansas City, Mo. man faces more than 15 years in prison if convicted on the charges.
According to a probable cause statement, Weston Police Department officers responded Sunday, Jan. 11 to reports of a victim stabbed at the bar, and that patrons had the suspect detained.
Upon arrival at about 10:30 p.m., an officer found Cordell, 54, on the ground in the parking lot being physically restrained. The officer then went inside to located the victim, who was actively bleeding from a chest wound and being treated by fellow patrons who were off-duty medical personnel and law enforcement.
The victim was transported to the intensive care unit at North Kansas City Hospital but was expected to survive.
Witnesses said that Cordell entered a private wedding reception without an invitation and was asked to leave but refused to comply. The groom then asked the victim to escort Cordell out which resulted first in a verbal argument and then a physical confrontation once they were outside the bar.
The victim said he felt a sharp pain in his neck and thought he had been punched.
While still trying to restrain Cordell, the victim noticed the suspect was holding a knife. The victim began yelling that he needed help and noticed he was bleeding. He said that someone came to help him before he lost consciousness.
A witness responded to the victim’s cries, claiming he’d been stabbed in the neck. The wound was later determined to be to his chest area.
The witness also noticed Cordell holding the knife and instructed him to drop it while also noting a large amount of blood on his clothing.
Cordell remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center on a $75,000 cash-only bond. He faces up to 15 years in prison for assault, while the punishment for the armed criminal action depends on prior offenses of the same nature.
A first-time offender faces at least three years in prison. A check of online Missouri records does not show Cordell having any other similar convictions.