SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been a rough week for Jeremy Cameron and the family dog, Smokey.
“He's had staples put in his head,” Cameron's wife, Rachel Johns, shared about her husband's condition. “His chest is sliced from the middle, all the way down his left leg, and then his left leg is cut so bad to the joint that they want to amputate it.”
On Monday, the couple was outside the Motel 6 in downtown Salt Lake City, where they work, when a man allegedly threatened Jeremy.
“He looked at Jeremy and said, ‘I'm going to kill your dog,’ and he started stabbing him, and I just wasn't strong enough to pull him off of him,” Rachel said.
The man stabbed Smokey, as well as his own dog, then stabbed Cameron’s hand and bicep. Johns doesn’t know how the couple will come up with the thousands of dollars they’ll need for surgery and vet bills.
“The ambulance took his clothes and incinerated it, that's what happened at the hospital,” claimed Johns. “His wallet, his whole paycheck, was in his pants, basically. It's just frustrating, so it's been a struggle.”
The suspect, Carl Henry, ran away after the stabbing but was taken into custody the next morning.
“If they see something, give us a call,” said Salt Lake City police Det. Dalton Beebe. “That's actually the reason that we were able to apprehend the individual; a citizen called and recognized the suspect and were able to safely take him into custody after making a safety plan.”
Beebe added that police frequently patrol the area by the motel.
“We're working as a police department to reduce violent crime,” the detective said. “We recognize that there has been a slight uptick in the area for criminal behavior, and we're taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to help resolve the issue.”
Johns and Cameron have been working at the motel for the last five months, trying to help the owner turn the place around.
“[The owner has] been really trying his best to get the place cleaned up, policing the parking lot,” said Johns. “He finally was able to hire security.”
But after what happened this week, Johns said it’s hard for the couple and Smokey to return.
