A man charged in connection with the stabbing of a Butler County Sheriff’s Office deputy wanted to die at the hands of a police officer, according to prosecutors.
Phillip Lovely, 41, appeared before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Gregory Howard for an arraignment on Feb. 13. He’s indicted on counts including attempted aggravated murder, felonious assault, arson and inducing panic.
At the hearing, Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser said that Lovely “was hell-bent on killing himself by utilizing the facility of a police officer to kill him.”
Deputy Mike Farthing responded to a call for a vehicle on fire on the 7000 block of Myers Road in Madison Township at around 1 p.m. on Feb. 5.
Farthing arrived at a car fully engulfed in flames near a residence. As Farthing was assisting in traffic control, Lovely approached him from behind and stabbed him in the back, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
During a later press conference, Sheriff Richard Jones said the man reportedly told Farthing, “This is your unlucky day,” as he stabbed him with a 12-inch knife.
Farthing called in to report that he had been stabbed, and a struggle ensued between him and Lovely. Farthing was able to fight off Lovely and hold him at gunpoint in the snow, Jones said, adding that Lovely said he swallowed multiple pills at some point after the stabbing.
A relative of Lovely’s also held the man at gunpoint until additional officers arrived at the scene, Gmoser said, adding that the relative is licensed to carry a concealed firearm.
Gmoser said Farthing demonstrated “outstanding restraint” by not firing his service weapon at Lovely. He added that Farthing sustained a serious injury to the back, but has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
“The safest place for this defendant to be is in the Butler County Jail,” Gmoser said.
Paris Ellis, Lovely’s attorney, declined to comment on the case when reached by The Enquirer. In court, Ellis said that Lovely has been a lifelong resident of Butler County and has little to no criminal record.
The judge set Lovely’s bond at $750,000. He’s currently in custody at the Butler County Jail awaiting trial.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man accused of stabbing deputy was ‘hell-bent’ on dying at cop’s hands
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley and Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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