16-year-old charged in stabbing
Migrant worker faked his age on green card

By Brad Bauer, bbauer@mariettatimes.com POSTED: August 22, 2008





A 16-year-old migrant worker was charged Wednesday with brutally stabbing another farm worker at the Sparling Farm near Waterford, according to Washington County sheriff's deputies.

Fernando Perez, 46, sustained cuts near his jugular vein on his neck and to his thumb. He was treated and released early Thursday from Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital. The neck injury required 10 stitches to close, according to police reports.

Chief Deputy Larry Stephens said Perez told officers he was stabbed as he slept.

"At this point we don't know a whole lot about what really happened," Stephens said. "All we have to go on at this point is the victim's statement that while he was sleeping he woke up being attacked."

The juvenile suspect was located by police on the farm and taken into custody. He is being held in the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center.

Stephens said it appears the juvenile was working on an illegal green card.

"His papers indicated he was 20, but we've since learned (from U.S. Immigration and Customs in Columbus) that the identification was false or fake," Stephens said.

The boy is charged with delinquency by committing attempted murder and falsification.

Farm owner Bessie Sparling said this year she hired four Mexican migrant workers to help out at her farm. She said the workers share a cabin on the farm. Two of the workers had worked there in past years and the remaining were new to the farm, she said.

"I really don't know what happened. I'm assuming they probably had a few drinks, but I don't know," Sparling said. "I'm just glad no one was really hurt seriously - to the point where he wouldn't get better."

Stephens said another worker, Jose Lopez, no age listed, was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

"He was refusing to cooperate and interfered with our investigation," Stephens said.

Officials with Immigration and Customs in Columbus could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.




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