A man was taken into police custody Friday after slashing his supervisor’s throat using a steak knife.
According to legal records, 40-year-old John William Herren, an employee at the civil engineering firm Dale & Associates in Nashville, walked into his workplace around noon carrying two knives.
An Ashland City man is accused of going to his Berry Hill office and allegedly slashing his boss’ throat with a steak knife. https://t.co/H1CL2ESWDS
— WKRN (@WKRN) August 19, 2019
Herren then proceeded to go behind his supervisor’s desk, grabbed his supervisor by the head, and slit his throat reported the Tennessean.
The supervisor then fled the office following the incident, after which Herren dropped one of the knives—later recovered by police—and also fled the scene, still carrying the knife used during the attack.
The supervisor was then taken to the hospital and treated for lacerations to his throat. Medical staff later said the wound landed close to a major artery. The cut required 16 stitches to close.
According to WKRN, Herren was soon apprehended by police after driving into his complex in a Cadillac SUV.
Roy Dale—owner of Dale & Associates—told reporters that Herren had been employed as a designer at the firm for over ten years.
Dale also mentioned that Herren had indicated to his superiors that he was feeling stressed out recently and needed time off.
“John was just expressing to us he was having a difficult time with that and was very stressed with that and really wanted to do something different with the company and we were happy to accommodate him,” said Dale.
“But still he was struggling, and he took off and when he came back this happened.”
It was also revealed that weeks prior to the attack, on July 29, Herren’s mother had called police asking them to go to his home to see if he was ok. The interaction was recorded via body cameras that police were wearing.
When asked by police if he had planned to harm himself, Herren responded, “No sir. I’m actually trying to do a little work from home right now. I appreciate you all stopping by concerned.”
The officers then left saying, “Well, if you need something, give us a call ok?”
Authorities later told Herren’s family, “I just wanted to let you know we went out there and talked to him. He came to the door and talked to him for a few minutes. He seemed ok. I asked if he had any intent on harming himself.”
When asked if any further action could have been taken prior to the incident, police responded, “Unfortunately, he is a grown adult. So, we can’t force him to see anyone he doesn’t want to see.
“We can’t force our way into his home without some type of probable cause. At this point, if he has a mental health issue you might talk to his doctor.”
Herren was charged with attempted criminal homicide and is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, have stated that Herren has no prior arrests in the state of Tennessee.
