Man arrested for attempted murder

Reportedly stabbed woman outside Waldorf apartment

A man was arrested early last week after allegedly trying to stab a woman outside a Waldorf apartment complex, court records indicate. While the victim managed to stop him from stabbing her in the chest, she suffered a stab wound to her arm and “defensive cuts” on her hands and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Charged with attempted first-degree murder, Maurice Antonio Thorndyke, 44, of Washington, D.C.,

remains in custody after bond was set at $500,000.

Around 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 26, deputies of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to an apartment complex located in the 2100 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, officers interviewed the victim and several witnesses who told police that Thorndyke had run into the woods after being chased away by a bystander.

The victim said that when she exited her apartment, Thorndyke, with whom she had previously been in a relationship, was standing outside, charging documents indicate. He then allegedly grabbed her by her hair and attempted to stab her multiple times in the chest, telling her that he was going to kill her. She was able to grab his wrist to prevent him from stabbing her in the chest, but he was able to cut her arm.

A witness said he saw the victim holding the knife back with both her hands as she yelled for help, court records state. The witness told police that he and his wife moved toward them, but Thorndyke started to run away and was chased by another man who had run to help the victim. The man who chased Thorndyke told police that when he caught up to him, Thorndyke reportedly turned around brandishing a red blade, which he believed was a “sawz-all” blade, before he continued into a wooded area.

Police began tracking Thorndyke with a K9 as officers formed a perimeter, and soon he was apprehended without incident after an officer saw him emerge from the woods near a dairy farm on Mattawoman Drive.

Prior to the incident, Thorndyke had an unserved protective order against him, and is alleged to have slashed the victim’s tires and cut her vehicle’s brake lines, charging documents indicate. The victim also advised officers that she had recorded him threatening to kill her over the phone.

Currently in custody on a $500,000 bond, Thorndyke is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 26.