Gonic man indicted in knife attack on sleeping man

Lashante Daniel Word (Rochester Police photo)

DOVER, N.H. – A Gonic man has been indicted in the stabbing attack on a sleeping man in March.

Lashante Daniel Word, 20, 34 Punch Brook Way 325, Gonic, faces charges of first degress assasult with a deadly weapon, first degree assault and criminal threatening.

The bizarre March 28 incident began when police got a call around 2 a.m. from a 19-year-old male who lives on First Street who told police he awoke to find Word stabbing him as he lay in bed. The victim, who said he only knew the attacker as a high school classmate, was able to fend off some of the attack but sustained cuts and puncture wounds to the neck, arms, torso and legs.

The victim underwent surgery but his wounds were not considered life threatening.

He was released from the hospital two days after the attack.

According to an arrest affidavit, the victim finally got Word to stop stabbing him by offering his attacker about a half-ounce of marijuana.

Upon Word’s arrest, police found a baggie with what is thought to be marijuana on him.

It took officers several hours to catch up with Word who fled after he got the marijuana, but when they did he scuffled during the arrest and allegedly spit at and threatened several officers and their families.

At the booking table, Word spit numerous times on the windows, drawing several more misdemeanor charges.

Both assault charges are class A felonies, punishable by 7 and a half to 15 years in jail apiece, while criminal threatening is a Class B felony, which could draw three and a half to seven years in prison.

The grand jury indictments were made public on Tuesday.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt, only that a grand jury has found sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.