Central Oregon

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend man was arrested early Monday morning in the Fred Meyer parking lot, accused of stabbing another man several times while both were in a van they’ve been temporarily living in.

Bend police responded around 3:50 a.m. to the reported stabbing in the parking lot of the store on South Highway 97, Sgt. Rob Emerson said.

The alleged victim, Timothy Lee Kochenour, 44, called 911 and told dispatchers he had been stabbed but was able to get away from the suspect before making the call, the sergeant said.

Officers arriving on scene rendered medical aid to Kochenour, who had multiple stab wounds. He was taken by Bend Fire ambulance to St. Charles Bend with non-life-threatening injuries, Emerson said. A hospital representative said he was treated for his injuries and released.

Emerson said officers learned the suspect, Jonathan Mark Connolly, 30, was associated with a white Dodge van still parked at Fred Meyer. Police contacted the suspect and detained him without incident.

Connolly was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and booked on charges of second-degree aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon. His initial bail totaled $60,000.

An investigation found the two men were acquaintances who had been temporarily living in the van together, Emerson said. They got into a dispute that led to the stabbing. The weapon and other evidence were recovered from the van, he added.

Alcohol is “believed to be a factor” in the crime, Emerson said. The investigation is continuing, he added, with more charges likely.