Semen-Filled Syringe Stabbing Leads To Prison Time: Official

EDGEWATER, MD — A Churchton man was sentenced to prison after a woman was stabbed with a semen-filled syringe, prosecutors announced Friday. Officials identified the sentenced man as 52-year-old Thomas Stemen.

An incident report said the attack happened on Feb. 18, 2020 outside of Christopher’s Grocery Store, located in the 5500 block of Shady Side Drive in Edgewater. The write-up noted that the victim mentioned that a man bumped into her while she was returning her shopping cart, causing pain in her buttocks.

The woman then asked the man if he burned her with a cigarette, the press release added. Authorities explained that the suspect replied, "Ya, it felt like a bee sting, didn’t it?" The prosecution informed that the victim noticed a large red area on her rear the next day, prompting her to seek treatment at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.

Investigators indicated that they released the surveillance video, collected tips and arrested Stemen. Officials also wrote that they found a full syringe in the defendant's vehicle, identified the substance as semen and matched it to the suspect's DNA.

Stemen on June 16, 2020 entered an Alford plea to one count of felony first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault, the report stated. That means Stemen asserted his innocence but admitted that the evidence would likely lead to his prosecution.

Authorities shared that a judge sentenced Stemen to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised probation.

Officials also accused Stemen of trying to stab two other females. Stemen pleaded guilty to second-degree assault for his contact with a 17-year-old girl who was not hurt, the write-up mentioned.

“The defendant’s actions were truly horrific,” Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess commented in the release. “He intentionally went out into our community with the goal of assaulting unsuspecting women. With this sentence, he will [be] removed from our community for a long time. I am thankful for the citizens who identified him from video released by law enforcement and that the survivors are able to move forward after this senseless assault.”

To read the full report, click here.

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