- November 18, 2024
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Deputies believe a worker at the Medallion Wholesale Nursery in Bunnell ambushed and stabbed one of his coworkers Tuesday afternoon in what the victim, who is recovering, called an unprovoked attack.
The victim, 46-year-old Francisco Valverde, told a deputy through a translator that he was “working out on the farm, and all of a sudden, without warning, Marcial Felipe-Narcizo came up behind him and attempted to hook Francisco around the neck and pull him off of the farm cart that Francisco was on. Francisco was able to push him away, and at that time Marcial pulled a pocket knife and attacked Francisco again,” according to the deputy’s report.
Valverde had two lacerations on his right check, a laceration under his right armpit and another laceration on the left side of his rib cage.
Other employees stepped in and stopped the attack, and a farm sales manager drove the injured man to the hospital where he advised a deputy “three separate times that he DID NOT wish to pursue charges on Marcial because he did not want to ruin his life and that they were all friends,” according to the deputy’s report.
Another deputy, guided by witnesses, walked out on the farm.
Felipe-Narcizo, 50, had made no attempt to flee or hide. He was still working in the fields when a deputy slipped up behind him and confronted him.
Felipe-Narcizo immediately dropped to the ground, and told the deputy there was a folding knife in his right pocket, according to the report.
The deputy took the knife as evidence, handcuffed Felipe-Narcizo, and took him back to the Sheriff’s Office for questioning.
Other employees told a deputy that “they ‘sort of’ witnessed a verbal altercation between the suspect and victim, but they did not see a stabbing or had any idea what it was about,” according to the report.
The victim and witnesses were uncooperative, Flagler Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Deputy Paula Priester said, and the case was marked “not enough evidence to pursue” on the case summary report.
Felipe-Narcizo was released with a trespass warning barring him from returning to the nursery.
Several hours after the incident, Valverde, with his family at the hospital, changed his mind about pursuing charges, and signed a charging affidavit,
The charges will be forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office.
