51-year-old David Ray Morgan was arrested Saturday (September 16) by Statesville Police Officers. He’s charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and one count of parole violation.

Morgan was taken into custody at a homeless camp behind Pump Station Road in Statesville. Morgan had been sought by authorities in connection to an altercation that occurred on September 7 with two other homeless individuals.

Two Morganton residents were reportedly injured after allegedly being assaulted by Morgan, who was wielding a machete. According to a news release from the Statesville Police responded to the incident near Pump Station Road at approximately 12:30 p.m. on September 7.

When they arrived at the scene, officers discovered two individuals, a 28-year-old woman and 35-year-old man, suffering from multiple lacerations. The victims were transported to Baptist Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The two individuals are homeless and have been residing in the wooded area behind the City of Statesville Water Treatment Plant at the end of Pump Station Road.

The victims informed authorities that they were involved in an altercation with another individual who was also living in the same wooded area. During the altercation, the man allegedly struck both victims with a machete. Officers immediately initiated a search of the area and found a witness who had observed the incident.

According to the witness, all three individuals were engaged in a physical altercation, during which the suspect sustained lacerations to his leg and hand from the same machete. The investigation indicated that the altercation appeared to be an isolated dispute concerning an area where the suspect was camping.

Morgan is on parole as a result of a conviction in July of 2020 on felony counts of possession with intent to sell schedule II controlled substance and possession of schedule II controlled substance. He was released from custody in March of this year, his parole was scheduled to end in December.

Morgan has multiple convictions listed on the North Carolina Department of Corrections Offender Public Information website. The list dates back to 1988. He’s been convicted in multiple counties of various felony and misdemeanor offenses.

Following Saturday’s arrest, Morgan was placed in the Iredell County Detention Center under $50,000 secured bond on the assault charges and no bond on the parole violation charge. A District Court date was scheduled today (September 18).