Counselor suffers stab wound to the neck

Allegedly attacked by a client

A Yuba City counselor is in the trauma unit with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the neck by a client Thursday night.

Yuba City police responded to the 1000 block of Live Oak Boulevard at 6:30 p.m. and found a man with a stab wound to the neck. His alleged attacker, Richard Ornelas, 30, of Yuba City, had an appointment with the counselor when he attacked, Lt. Jim Runyen said in an email Friday.

Ornelas was pulled off by a second counselor before fleeing.

Around 1:30 a.m. Friday, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office received a call about Ornelas breaking into an apartment in the 4200 block of Larson Street in Olivehurst – it had been determined that Ornelas assaulted two occupants of the apartment before his attack on the counselor, and had returned to confront them again, Runyen said.

Ornelas made it inside the apartment as Yuba County sheriff’s deputies arrived; the occupants were able to exit safely. Deputies communicated with Ornelas, but he refused to come outside. After several hours, chemical agents were entered into the apartment. With the assistance of a Yuba City police dog, the regional Yuba Sutter SWAT team and Olivehurst Fire on standby, Ornelas was arrested, Runyen said. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and pending booking into the Sutter County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.

The victim’s brother-in-law posted on Facebook that after a grim prognosis Thursday night, it appears that he will survive, though family is waiting for more news post-surgery.