Document text
69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 12, 2005 Police halt elderly offender after stabbing By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Police used beanbag rounds to subdue an apparently delusional 85-year-old woman who had slashed a man with a large knife Wednesday evening in a southwest Medford neighborhood. Signe Gorman was armed with a 22-inch long carving knife when she approached a 52-year-old man who was working next door to her home in the 900 block of South Peach Street, and "asked him to help get a man out of her television," Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said. The man asked Gorman to return to her home. She instead slashed him with the knife, causing a deep cut to one of his hands, Moran said. "It was a completely unprovoked attack," he said. Police were called to the scene at 6:22 p.m. after receiving a report of a stabbing there. When officers arrived, they found Gorman standing in her front yard, still holding the large knife, Moran said. Advertisement Gorman acted hostile toward officers and refused orders to put down the knife, Moran said. An officer fired a single beanbag round that struck Gorman’s hand but did not cause her to drop the knife, police said. "She just stood there," said witness Don McCarty, who went outside after hearing sirens from patrol cars headed down South Peach Street. Gorman finally dropped the knife after an officer fired two more beanbag rounds at her legs. Moran said he did not know if Gorman fell to the ground when struck by the rounds. McCarty said when the officer fired the less-than-lethal beanbag round from a shotgun, "it sounded like a pellet gun." Gorman was taken by police to a mental-health facility at Rogue Valley Medical Center for evaluation, but not arrested. Moran said police will conduct a full investigation into the incident before forwarding it to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office. "Even though she has mental-health issues, we still believe in putting together a criminal case," Moran said. The stabbing victim’s wife drove him to Rogue Valley Medical Center, where he was expected to receive stitches for his wound, police said. The victim lives in the 600 block of South Oakdale Avenue, but owns the home next door to Gorman’s residence, police said. Moran said neighbors told police of previous instances involving Gorman in which she did not know where she was, or became agitated with them for no apparent reason. Gorman reportedly lives with a male relative. Telephone calls made to the home Wednesday night were not answered. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s