SALEM — Bail has been set at $500,000 for a 34-year-old resident of a Salem CILA home arrested in connection with the Sunday stabbing of a caregiver at the home.
According to Detective Dan Bosomworth of the Salem Police Department, they were called around 9:;03 p.m. Sunday to 508 Shroeder Drive to assist a woman who reported she had been attacked at that address.
Bosomworth says the residence is owned by the Marion County Horizon Center and operates as a Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) provider.
The victim was a 20-year-old employee of the CILA home. The suspect, 34-year-old Tyler Watson, was a resident of the home. Authorities have not released her name.
The victim reports while in a company vehicle on the driveway of this property she was assaulted by Watson, who exited the house with a kitchen knife and proceeded to stab her numerous times.
The victim was able to escape the property in the vehicle and call 911; however, as a result of her serious injuries, she crashed her vehicle into the yard of a residence in the 500 block of Airport Road. The victim was transported to Salem Township Hospital, then flown to St Louis University Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
Bosomworth said that when he issued his press release around 9 p.m. Monday, the victim was still undergoing treatment. He had traveled to St. Louis Monday to interview the victim.
Watson was taken into custody at the scene and was transported to Salem Township Hospital for treatment of cuts to his hands. Watson was then transported to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and interviewed before being booked.
He was formally charged Tuesday morning in Marion County Court with two counts first degree attempted murder, and one count of armed violence – all Class X felonies, and one count of Class 3 aggravated battery. A mental health evaluation has been ordered and a status hearing is scheduled for February 22.
Watson was convicted in 2016 of misdemeanor battery of a group home employee in that community and is currently the subject of a guardianship case in Marion County.
Anyone in the neighborhood who witnessed the incident or who may have surveillance useful to the investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Bosomworth at the Salem Police Department, 618-548-2232