News

May 30, 2009

Defendant says he will be cleared of stabbing charges

Jevon Mark says Efrain Vendrell won’t press charges, but friend claims he will.

By Edward Lewis elewis@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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SWOYERSVILLE – Jevon Mark said he will be cleared of allegedly stabbing a man inside a Plains Township home on Tuesday.

Mark, 24, called the stabbing an “accident,” saying the victim, Efrain Vendrell, 33, won’t testify against him at a preliminary hearing in Central Court tentatively scheduled on June 4.

Mark was charged by Swoyersville police on Friday for allegedly carrying 50 heroin packets found during a traffic stop in March.

During his arraignment before District Judge David Barilla in Swoyersville, Mark said Vendrell won’t cooperate with prosecutors in connection to the stabbing.

“When he (Vendrell) gets out of the hospital, he’s not pursuing the case. It was an accident,” Mark said.

Vendrell was upgraded from critical to stable condition at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, said his friend, Lisa McEvoy, who witnessed the alleged stabbing.

“We are pressing charges right to the fullest,” McEvoy said. “A man’s life was on the line. We didn’t know if he was going to live or die. (Mark) is not going to be cleared of these charges. We plan to take the stand and testify.”

Plains Township police allege Mark stabbed Vendrell in the back during a fight inside 87 Helen St. on Tuesday.

Vendrell was found lying on his stomach with a blood-soaked T-shirt covering his lower back and a cut on his arm.

McEvoy, who lives at the Helen Street home, told police Vendrell asked Mark to leave but Mark refused, leading to an argument, according to arrest records.

McEvoy claimed, arrest records say, she saw Mark grab a knife and lunge at Vendrell, who used a computer chair to defend himself.

According to the latest charges filed by Swoyersville police:

Police stopped the driver of a vehicle for a faulty brake light on Walnut Street, Luzerne, on March 24. The driver, who wasn’t charged, was detained for operating a vehicle with a suspended license.

Mark, a passenger in the vehicle, was allegedly found with 50 heroin packets and crack hidden in his pants, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said the suspected illegal drugs were found within a school zone.

Mark was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $50,000 bail on the drug charges, awaiting a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled on June 8.

He is jailed on the charges filed by Plains Township police on $50,000 bail.

Edward Lewis , a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7196.

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