Local man tasered after assaulting sheri ’s deputy with a knife at Quicke Mart
Sheri Compton: ‘To give you an idea of what we were dealing with, [the suspect] is 6-foot-5 and weighs 255 pounds’
Keith Allen Alther, a 39-year-old Rixeyville man, was arrested Monday afternoon after he attempted to stab a Rappahannock County Sheri ’s deputy with a knife at Quicke Mart on Lee Highway, fortunately only slicing the o cer’s pants.
Alther was eventually tasered and arrested and now faces multiple serious charges, including attempted malicious wounding of a police o cer and assault on a police o cer. He was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday (yesterday) in General District Court.
“We got a call about a guy who attacked one of the … customers at the store,” Sheri Connie Compton told the Rappahannock News Monday afternoon.
The sheri said a er Alther assaulted the customer “he proceeded into the store, knocked a bunch of things over, and took items without paying for them.”
Back outside, Alther was seen kicking and knocking over an outdoor trash receptacle and cigarette canister. It was when Rappahannock County law enforcement arrived on the scene and confronted the suspect that he brandished a knife and “advanced towards the deputies,” Compton said.
“He had a knife and took a [swipe] at deputy Chris Ubben,” according to the sheri , “cutting Chris’ pants.”
At that point Alther was tasered by another sheri ’s deputy, subdued, and placed in handcu s.
“To give you an idea of what we were dealing with, he [Alther] is 6-foot-5 and weighs 255 pounds,” Compton told this newspaper.
Alther was initially charged Monday afternoon with attempted malicious wounding of a police o cer, assault on a police o cer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and larceny.
On Tuesday additional charges were brought against the suspect, including assault and battery on the customer at Quicke Mart, driving with a suspended license, and reckless driving.
Alther is currently being held at the Rappahannock Shenandoah Warren (RSW) Regional Jail in Front Royal. He has previous charges from 2012 for DWI, disorderly conduct, and obstructing justice through threat or force. He was found guilty of the last two and sentenced to 10 days in jail for each.