2 Pottsville Stabbings in a Week Involve Children Perps

In Pottsville last week, two stabbings involved children.

Before last week, how many stabbings do you remember in Pottsville? Any?

But last week, one on Tuesday morning and another Friday evening, there were a pair of them. And if that wasn’t bad enough, each involved children. And at least one of the incidents likely involved drugs.

Maybe the worst part is that in the one case, the teen is the accused stabber and in the other, the teen girl robs a man while her accomplice holds a gun under her victim’s chin.

That’s right … this all happened in the span of a few days last week in Pottsville.

Let’s start with the first …

Drugs Likely the Root of Pottsville Race Street Stabbing

According to SkookNews.com, the first of two stabbings last week started likely just before midnight on Tuesday, July 9.

Just after midnight, on Pottsville’s East Side, a city police officer was approached by a woman with a cell phone. The phone was tracked to a man police eventually found at the ER. He was there because he had a stab wound on his face.

Pottsville PD learned the man was stabbed clear across town, at 906 W. Race St.

That’s where the victim of the stab wound told police he went after getting several texts to do so. It’s also where 29-year-old Saye Kilikpo waited. With him, a 17-year-old girl.

The report gets bizarre from here. The victim of the stabbing allegedly went to Race Street after getting those texts. He didn’t go alone.

When he arrived at Kilipko’s, Kilipko asked him to join him out back. That’s where Kilipko allegedly held a gun under the stab victim’s chin trying to shake him down for money. While Kilipko held the stab victim at gunpoint, police say a 17-year-old girl helped the situation by taking the man’s phone and wallet.

The stab victim says he tried to wrestle the gun away from Kilipko and he and his companions fled to the car they arrived in. Kilipko and the girl tracked them to the car. While she held the door open to the car, Kilipko allegedly slashed the stab victim in the face.

So, why do we suspect this was over drugs? Besides the obvious … armed robbery attempt, Race Street, … ?

According to The Morning Call, Kilipko is no stranger to the wrong side of the law. In March 2015, Allentown Police picked up Kilipko after finding him with 31 bags of heroin on him as he walked around the streets.

Friday Night Stabbing on East Side

Later last week, another report of a stabbing in Pottsville surfaced. This happened on the city’s East Side, at East Market and George streets.

SkookNews.com also got information from Pottsville PD on this incident, too. They say Christopher Rojas, a 17-year-old from Pottsville stabbed an 18-year-old man in the chest on Friday night after 8 p.m.

Rojas ran from the scene, leaving the stabbing victim to bleed out. The victim, according to information received by the Canary, is allegedly in stable condition as of Sunday.

Police eventually apprehended Rojas. He dashed away from the scene on foot and headed south. Police from numerous local departments, including Pennsylvania State Police, poured into neighboring Pottsville communities attempting to establish a perimeter to contain Rojas. The police found Rojas near the “Pottsville/Palo Alto” bridge.

The Big Ugly Picture

These stabbings happened just days and hours before one of the biggest public events in Pottsville in a long time. While some focus on those types of developments and seem to think they’re a sign that things are looking up in Pottsville, these two very real incidents tell another story.

It’s got all of Pottsville’s problems and impediments wrapped up in one.

You’ve got suspected heroin dealing. And of course, the perp in this case likely fled here to avoid getting caught where he previously caused trouble. Pottsville clearly is a good place for that.

And you’ve got increased violent crime. These stabbings show that children around here clearly don’t have enough stimulating them. Seriously, a 17-year-old robbing a guy while a man more than 10 years old that her robs the guy at gunpoint? What went wrong there?

More importantly …

What’s Wrong Here?

These sorts of events used to be so rare in Schuylkill County. We’re just looking at this as a violent crime in saying that.

It’s twice as disturbing that each of these incidents involved children.

So, what’s happening to cause this new wave of violent criminal behavior? What can be done?

Image: DepositPhotos.com

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