Pierce County sheriff's deputy charged for alleged stabbing after drunken rendezvous

TACOMA -- A Pierce County sheriff's deputy has been charged with first-degree assault for allegedly stabbing a man after a drunken rendezvous and disagreement at a pot shop.

Glen Carpenter is charged in Pierce County Superior Court. Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor confirmed Carpenter was a deputy, and he intends to terminate his employment.

"Glen Carpenter has been charged with a felony crime," Pastor wrote to Q13 News. "I believe that this criminal matter needs to be handled by the justice system in the same manner as it would for any other citizen. A notice of intent to terminate his employment has been issued based upon the investigation completed by the Tacoma Police Department."

According to charging documents:

Pierce County sheriff's deputies were dispatched to reports of a stabbing Oct. 5 near the intersection of South 38th Street and Pacific Avenue.

They encountered the victim, who opened his car and yelled for the deputies' help, saying "he is killing me."

Deputies approached the vehicle and found Carpenter, the victim and another man. Carpenter's empty pistol holder and a Sergeant's badge were found in the car.

The victim was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center by ambulance and received 15 stitches for multiple cuts on his hand.

The victim said that he and two other men were drinking at a bar when Carpenter approached them. Carpenter offered to buy the group drinks, and the victim and on of the other men said yes. A third man said he got an uneasy feeling, and left after a bartender told him Carpenter "bad news."

During the evening, Carpenter showed the other men his gun and badge, telling them he was a "man with power."

Into the evening, the three agreed to leave and go to a hotel. On their way to the hotel, they stopped at a pot shop. There, the three got into a disagreement and Carpenter showed his gun in a threatening way, the victim said. Scared, the victim and the other man took Carpenter's gun and tried to drive away.

Carpenter made it to the car, however, and jumped in the front seat window, the victim said.

He slashed at the victim with a folding knife, demanding his gun back. Deputies arrived around the same time.

Investigators collected video of the incident, including surveillance camera from the pot shop.

Carpenter was arrested.

The case was passed to the Tacoma Police Department for investigation.

Editor's Note: An original version of this story said the blade of the knife used was 11 inches long. According to charging documents, the folding knife was "approximately 11 inches long from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle."