Heavy drug use, argument led to samurai sword attack, Mariposa County sheriff says
Heavy drug use and an argument led to an alleged samurai-style sword attack that left a Mariposa County man badly injured on Saturday, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday afternoon.
The suspect in the attack, 42-year-old Jonathan Mishael Bays, was captured Wednesday after being on the loose since it happened at the Creekside Apartments in Mariposa, according to authorities.
Bays was ultimately located hiding inside a tent with a female companion and was taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The victim suffered serious injuries, including wounds to the hand, wrist, shoulder and head, the post said. The sheriff’s office has not named the alleged victim, but a GoFundMe fundraiser published online said it was 32-year-old Andrew Cooper.
According to the sheriff’s office, Bays has an extensive criminal history spanning Florida, Arizona and Alabama. He is currently wanted out of Idaho, the post said.
Bays was arrested under a Ramey warrant and is charged with attempted murder, mayhem and failure to register as a sex offender. He is being held at the Mariposa County Jail on a no-bail warrant.
Investigators recovered the sword allegedly used during the attack, along with the clothing Bays was wearing at the time of the attack, the post said.
“This arrest was not just a win for Mariposa, this was a win for the rest of the country he has terrorized as well,” Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said. “Our deputies, detectives, and assisting agencies worked tirelessly day and night to bring this dangerous individual into custody.”
According to the GoFundMe post, made by his mother, Cooper was first airlifted to a hospital in Merced for emergency treatment. Due to the severity of his injuries he was stabilized and then flown to UC Davis Health for emergency surgery.
He remains in the ICU, the post said. As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised $3,039, with a goal of $17,500.
