A Butler man accused of stabbing two people near Rotary Park last month saw charges held for Butler County Common Pleas Court on Monday, Oct. 16.

Dartavion A. Johnson, 18, appeared for his preliminary hearing after being charged Friday, Sept. 22, with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault and two counts of recklessly endangering another person in connection to the stabbings.

A 25-year-old man and a 32-year-old man were found stabbed at the scene that day, police said, and the men were taken by ambulance to a medical helicopter, which flew them to separate hospitals. Their injuries were not life threatening, documents showed.

Laura Pitchford, assistant district attorney, called investigating officer Nathan Shulik, of Butler City police, as the only witness for prosecution.

Shulik testified that he was dispatched to the reported stabbing across from Rotary Park on Sept. 22. The address he was given was 400 Shore St.

When he arrived, Shulik said a crowd was gathered near West Cunningham and South Chestnut streets and directed him toward the magistrate’s office on West Cunningham Street.

Johnson was located in a nearby yard, holding a knife and what Shulik described as a “metal fence pole.”

After taking Johnson into custody, Shulik said he was able to view surveillance footage from a camera at the intersection of Race and South Chestnut streets.

According to Shulik, one stabbing was visible on the footage.

“Johnson is seen stabbing a Black male, and they kinda go off-screen toward the farmers market lot,” he said.

A witness later came by the city police station and showed additional footage of the stabbing.

“In this footage, Johnson is seen stabbing another male in the back, twice,” Shulik said.

During a short cross-examination by Johnson’s attorney, Joseph Scioscia, Shulik disclosed one of the men who was stabbed gave a written statement to police regarding the incident, but he has not interviewed both men in person.

“There were several witnesses that came in, none of them actually saw the stabbing,” he said. “Some said there was arguing before the fight.”

According to court documents, Johnson was interviewed at the city police station after the fight, and told police he had been involved in a fight the previous night with an unknown man in Rotary Park. He fought the man again Friday afternoon outside Save A Lot grocery store in Pullman Square.

Johnson told police he later spotted a group of the stranger’s friends in Rotary Park and did not engage with them at first. Then, one of the group approached him and said he was going to fight him. Police said Johnson recounted two people trying to take the metal pole before he stabbed them.

District Judge William Fullerton held all charges over for the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. Scioscia also requested a mental health evaluation for Johnson, which Fullerton granted.

Johnson remains in jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.