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A Damascus man is in critical condition and his roommate is charged with attempted murder following an altercation that turned violent at their home Saturday, county police reported.
Jose M. Polanco, 24, of the 26600 block of Long Corner Road, was arguing with his roommate around 11:15 p.m. in an upstairs bedroom when the argument turned physical, Capt. Paul Starks, police spokesman, said.
Polanco is also known as Manuel Varaona and Jose Lopez, but told the judge at his bond hearing Monday afternoon he prefers Polanco.
The county Public Defender's Office represented Polanco in court, but no one has interviewed him yet to determine if he will be using a private attorney because the office did not have a Spanish-speaking interpreter that day, Public Defender John Lavigne told the judge. By noon Tuesday the Public Defender's Office had no record of the case, receptionist Sylvia Guardado said.
District Court Judge Brian G. Kim set bail at $1 million.
Polanco is accused of grabbing a pocket knife and stabbing his roommate more than nine times, at least seven times in the torso, which punctured his lung, Assistant State's Attorney Gerald Collins said at the bond hearing.
Through an interpreter, "Polanco gave a statement of involvement, including admitting to stabbing the victim two times," according to police charging documents in District Court.
When police arrived, the victim lay on the floor bleeding. He was flown to the R. Adams Cowley Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he remained in critical but stable condition, Starks said Monday. Starks was unable to provide further information about the victim.
Polanco has worked part-time as a landscaper for Umar Serone Landscaping for two years and during that time has lived in his employer's house on Long Corner Road, according to the police charging documents.
Other members of the household as well as Polanco were on the scene when police arrived and were able to relay details of the incident to responding officers, Starks said.
Police charged Polanco with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault, Kim said in the courtroom. The first-degree murder charge is a felony that carries a possible life sentence and the first-degree assault charge is also a felony that carries a possible sentence of 25 years.
Polanco is also charged in Howard County with three counts of theft less than $500, one count of theft more then $500 and one count of conspiracy to commit theft over $500, Kim said. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 20.