On April 12 the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Jemeel C. Melton of Ithaca, after a prolonged investigation into a stabbing incident that took place at the Agava restaurant in February 2020. Melton now faces a Class B felony charge of assault.
The case against Melton was presented to a Tompkins County Grand Jury by the District Attorney’s Office on March 30, 2023. The grand jury proceeded to indict Melton, and an arrest warrant was issued on April 6, 2023. Following his arrest, Melton was arraigned in Tompkins County Court and subsequently released under probation supervision.
The original incident occurred at 11:50 p.m. on February 26, 2020, when deputies from the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a stabbing at Agava restaurant. Upon arrival, deputies discovered two victims who had been stabbed in an altercation. A 21-year-old bystander who tried to intervene in the dispute was stabbed, followed by a 26-year-old man who was stabbed just before the suspect fled the scene. The suspect was described as a black male, 5’8″ to 5’10”, late 20’s to early 30’s, wearing a black leather jacket and a Chicago Bulls baseball hat.
The 21-year-old victim was transported to Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, where they remain in critical condition. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old victim was taken to Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital and is now in critical, but stable condition.
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