Wild drama broke out in Watertown, South Dakota, as a woman allegedly plunged a giant kitchen knife into her fiancé during a heated dispute — all while packing up their home.
Melody Harless is now staring down a second-degree attempted murder charge after her partner barely escaped with his life, say cops. But that’s not the end of the story — Harless is also looking at probation violation and drug-related charges, according to Codington County Jail records.
The alleged attack happened just after noon last Sunday on 13th Avenue Southwest, a usually uneventful street now thrust into the spotlight. Court filings reveal that Harless and her fiancé were in the middle of boxing up their belongings when a verbal fight exploded into violence. Suddenly, Harless is accused of pulling out a massive 10-inch blade from a kitchen box and driving it straight into her fiancé’s chest, leaving him bleeding and in shock on the floor.
The wounded man urgently told Harless he needed medical attention. What happened next? Eyewitnesses claimed a car was seen careening through Watertown, blowing through stop signs — Harless allegedly behind the wheel, racing her fiancé to Prairie Lakes Hospital. Police got the call around 1:30 p.m. about the wild driving, and not long after, ER staff found themselves treating a 30-year-old man with a life-threatening chest injury and a collapsed lung.
Detectives say Harless admitted she recently used meth and told inconsistent stories about the stabbing, even claiming someone else was responsible before admitting she drove her bleeding partner to the hospital, as reported by Sioux Falls Live. Authorities quickly tracked her down just two miles from the scene, slapping the cuffs on her.
After initial charges of first-degree attempted murder, court docs show the offense has since been downgraded to second-degree. She’s currently held behind bars on a hefty $50,000 bond at Codington County Detention Center.
The victim, though gravely injured, managed to answer police questions from his hospital bed, but his latest condition remains unknown. Watertown, the quiet city now making headlines, sits about 40 miles from the Minnesota state line.
