John David AltenhoffA Dunlap, Tenn., man being held without bond on a criminal homicide charge faces an initial court appearance Feb. 20 in the fatal stabbing Wednesday of another man.
The killing is the first inside the city limits of Dunlap in a couple of decades, police Chief Clint Huth said.
Dunlap police arrived at 97 McGlothen Lane East at about 1:55 a.m. CST Wednesday to find 22-year-old Alvin James Sandell suffering a stab wound to the chest, according to Huth. Sandell, who had just moved to Dunlap from Hamilton County, died at the scene.
Two other people, identified as John David Altenhoff, 34, and Melody Danielle Shipwash, 24, fled the scene in a truck. They were arrested by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents and local authorities around 9 a.m. Wednesday in Soddy-Daisy at a home on Dallas Hollow Road, Huth said.
Witnesses to the altercation, who include Sandell’s father, Shipwash and neighbors, said Altenhoff and Sandell got into an argument that led to a scuffle “that ended with Altenhoff stabbing Sandell in the chest,” Huth said. Shipwash has not been charged.
Huth described the murder weapon as a folding knife. No firearms were involved.
The Sandells moved to the Dunlap residence less than a week ago and Shipwash had been staying at the McGlothen Lane East home for about three days.
Huth said the victim’s father was doing “pretty good,” considering the circumstances.
“We’re keeping in close touch with him,” the chief said. Investigators are still sorting out the relationships among those involved.
The victim’s body has been taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Nashville for an autopsy.
Sandell left behind at least one sister, Huth said, and he had some aunts and uncles living in the Dunlap area.
The investigation is continuing and “there are still some more people to talk to,” he said.
There have been a number of nonfatal gun and knife incidents in Dunlap, the Sequatchie County seat, over the years, but “there’s not been a criminal homicide in Dunlap city limits as long as I’ve been chief,” Huth said. “It’s definitely not a regular occurrence in our city.”
Huth said he began serving as police chief in Dunlap in the 1990s.
Staff writer Will Healey contributed to this story.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.