Law enforcement have a warrant out for the arrest of a Higginsville man accused of stabbing another man over the weekend.

Court documents accuse 58-year-old Gary Cowan of stabbing a man in the shoulder at a home on the 200 block of East 18th Street the evening of Saturday, Oct. 4. Officers say they found the victim sitting in a chair in a garage with a blanket covering the wound. After giving a statement, the victim was taken to a Kansas City area hospital, where he was taken into emergency surgery and intubated after surgeons determined that his jugular vein was cut by the stabbing.

Witnesses told police that they were made aware that Cowan was on his way to the garage to confront the victim, two weeks after another assault is believed to have occurred elsewhere in Higginsville. According to the probable cause statement, the witness said the victim had received threatening text messages from Cowan, and that he had hoped to leave the garage before Cowan arrived. The witness then told authorities that the victim had displayed a knife and told Cowan to leave. That’s when Cowan displayed his knife, and after an altercation where the witness attempted to diffuse the situation, the victim sustained the stabbing wound.

Cowan fled the scene but was contacted by Higginsville Police. Police say he offered to meet with officers but never followed through. Authorities believe he remains at large. Cowan has been charged with first degree assault and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest calls for him to be held without bond. Anyone with information about Cowan’s whereabouts is asked to call Higginsville Police at 660-584-2104 or your nearest law enforcement agency.