Woman arrested for attempted murder after Redding stabbing

REDDING — Authorities in Redding tracked down and arrested a woman they allege was responsible for the stabbing and attempted murder of a local man last Wednesday afternoon, June 12. The stabbing, which left the victim in critical condition with life-threatening knife wounds to his upper back and neck area, happened on the 800 block of Parkview Ave., in Redding.

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Redding police officers responded to the area of the Parkview Market around 3:45 p.m. last Wednesday, after receiving reports of a stabbing that had just occurred, Redding Police Sgt. Todd Cogle later reported.

Officers found the victim, 43-year-old, Christopher Fitch, of Redding, “suffering from multiple stab wounds to his upper back near his neck,” Cogle explained. Fitch was rushed to Mercy Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for treatment of injuries considered life-threatening. According to Cogle, Fitch remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

During their subsequent investigation, officers interviewed witnesses and gathered evidence to the crime, including surveillance footage that showed a woman leaving the scene of the stabbing on a girl’s bicycle.

A picture of the suspect was circulated via local news outlets and social media and led to officers identifying the possible suspect as Misty Ledeen Dorman, 38, of Redding.

As their investigation was continuing, officers began searching for Dornan, and on Friday, June 14, at around 4:45 p.m., SHASCOM received numerous 911 calls from area residents reporting that Dornan had returned to the Parkview area and was near the Redding Library.

Officers responded to the library and soon located and detained Dornan. She was then transported to Redding PD’s Investigations Division to be questioned regarding her involvement in the stabbing.

Misty Dornan is seen being interviewed at Redding PD’s Investigations Division, where she admitted to repeatedly stabbing a man in the neck and upper back area. Redding PD photo

“During the interview, Dornan admitted that the widely circulated picture depicted her the day of the stabbing,” Cogle reported.  “She said she stabbed the victim twice in the area of his neck because she thought he was going to drop an 18 pack of beer on her foot and acted as if he was going to punch her.”

After stabbing the victim, Dornan said she fled the area. She later disposed of the knife and bicycle, “and made no efforts to contact law enforcement or summon medical aid for the victim,”

At the conclusion of their interview, officers arrested Dornan and she was booked into Shasta County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder.

Redding PD’s investigation is ongoing and anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Redding PD’s Sgt Cogle at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 19R037046 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.