Bethany youth pastor stabbed, suspect missing

Bethany Police are reaching out for help in locating a man they believe may be responsible for stabbing a youth pastor just outside the Calvary Nazarene Church a little more than a week ago.

Wednesday, September 24th 2008, 6:58 pm

By: News 9


By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

BETHANY, Okla. -- Bethany Police are reaching out for help in locating a man they believe may be responsible for stabbing a youth pastor just outside the Calvary Nazarene Church a little more than a week ago.

Police said they consider the suspect extremely dangerous and want him off the streets.

With their investigation coming to a standstill, Bethany Police are going out in the community looking for help.

"We just don't have any clue who this suspect is," Bethany police detective Austin Warfield said.

Warfield doesn't know who this person is, but he is certain the suspect is responsible for stabbing 23-year-old Matt Rains in the parking lot outside the Calvary Nazarene Church in Bethany.

"He said at first he actually didn't realize he'd been stabbed," Jim Hill, Senior Pastor, said. "He said he felt kind of a jab and then the guy turned and ran. He said then he reached down and realized his shirt was torn and felt blood in his hand. He realized then that he was stabbed."

While those with the church are concerned by what happened, they also believe it was an isolated incident.

"This was just unusual, like I said, he'd forgot his guitar, knew that he wanted to practice for Sunday morning and so he just thought he would swing by the office and get it and he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," Hill said.

It's not just where it happened that has the church and police surprised, but how it happened. Police said the suspect approached Rains looking for money, when he said he didn't have any that's when the suspect stabbed him.

Now those involved just want the suspect off the streets.

"Any law-abiding citizen would want an individual like this apprehended, mainly for the safety of everyone else," Hill said.

While police aren't sure who the suspect is they are confident he is close by. In fact, they believe he may even live in Bethany. As for the victim, the church said he is doing OK and is back at work and at school.

The suspect is described as a black male with a dark complexion. He's around 30-years-old, 6'2" and 180 pounds. If you know of anything you are urged to call Bethany police at 789-2323.

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