A Malott man has been arrested and booked into the Okanogan County Jail in connection with the stabbing death of his mother on Monday (June 10), Sheriff Tony Hawley said in a press release.
The man in custody, 34-year-old Jose Mejia, was apprehended after deputies responded to a report of a woman being stabbed by a man at a location near Old Highway 97 and Central Street in Malott, Hawley said.
The woman, 64-year-old Juana Ferreria Demejia, died at the scene of the stabbing, Hawley said. The sheriff said she was the mother of the suspect.
According to Hawley’s press release, at about 2:44 p.m. on Monday, sheriff’s deputies, Malott Fire and Lifeline Ambulance responded to the report of a stabbing incident. Deputies responded within 7 minutes and began searching for a suspect who reportedly fled on foot.
“The suspect had made his way to the river and was contacted there by deputies,” Hawley said in the release. “He resisted arrest and attempted to disarm one of the deputies of his firearm. Deputies and the suspect were in the river during the struggle to arrest him.”
Jose Mejia was transported to Mid-Valley Hospital to be treated for an injury to his hand, according to the release.
The Washington State Crime lab responded to the scene to assist detectives with the collection of evidence at the scene, Hawley said.
