No suspects yet in Monday stabbing at Hawthorne Park

Published 11:30 am Thursday, July 13, 2023

Medford police said Thursday they have not positively identified any of the suspects in an early Monday morning stabbing of a 32-year-old woman in Hawthorne Park.

“But we are working good leads,” Medford police Lt. Donald Lane said in an email Thursday.

Police responded to the park around 1:37 a.m. Monday after they received a report of a shot fired.

Police said a woman and a male acquaintance got into an argument with three individuals over “loud noise.” Lane said the subjects were “just being loud as they conversed in the park” near the victim. 

Lane said a pistol was produced by one of the suspects, who fired in an unknown direction. No one was injured by the shot, Lane said.

The argument then turned physical between the woman and the suspects, which resulted in the woman being stabbed, according to Lane. 

Though Lane did not identify the victim, a woman named Tara Wentland posted on Facebook that she had been stabbed at Hawthorne Park, and she posted photos of her injuries from Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. Wentland remained hospitalized Thursday.

Wentland said she got into an altercation with three men — which Lane confirmed — and that her partner was allegedly held down by the suspects to watch as she was beaten with brass knuckles and stabbed. Lane said he could not confirm information from Wentland’s post. 

Lane said that investigators have reviewed video footage from the park of the vehicle driven by the suspects, but they are unsure of the type and color of the vehicle because it does not show up well in the video.

Anyone who can provide more information is asked to call Detective Elizabeth Hull at 541-774-2283.