Arrest Warrant Issued In Stabbing Cda Man Stabbed Eight Times; Friend Being Sought By Police

Evelyn Schwenk spent Tuesday morning cleaning a stranger’s blood off her front porch.

John S. Gray, 26, had been stabbed eight times the night before.

“I was on the phone with a girlfriend when he banged on the door and said, ‘Help me - I’ve been stabbed,”’ Schwenk said. “He kept yelling, ‘Why did he do this? Why did he do this? I don’t know why he stabbed me.”’

Gray, of Coeur d’Alene, was listed in fair condition at Kootenai Medical Center on Tuesday. Coeur d’Alene police are searching for a friend of his, Frank D. Anderson, 31, of Coeur d’Alene.

On Tuesday, investigators obtained a $500,000 arrest warrant charging Anderson with second-degree attempted murder, Capt. Carl Bergh said.

A preliminary investigation shows that the suspect and victim may have been using the drug methamphetamine before the stabbing, Bergh said.

Police officials say methamphetamine is becoming an increasingly popular drug in North Idaho. They say the drug is known for bringing violence with it because of the paranoia it causes.

During April and May, the Kootenai County Drug Task Force has arrested 18 people on methamphetamine charges, Bergh said. The task force made 31 such arrests in all of 1994.

“It’s certainly becoming the drug of choice,” said Idaho State Police Sgt. Clyde Kaffenberger.

Schwenk, 36, thought her brother was playing a joke on her when she heard Gray yelling for help.

Then, her 15-year-old stepson opened the front door and discovered the bleeding man.

“His legs were all bloody and his arms and he was holding his chest,” Schwenk said, explaining she had never met Gray before. “I just sat there with him and kept telling him to calm down. I just kept saying the ambulance is on the way.”

Anderson stabbed Gray twice in each arm, once in the chest and three times in the back, according to a Coeur d’Alene police report.

Gray told police that he used to be friends with Anderson, but hadn’t seen him for a long time until Monday afternoon.

The two met again Monday evening at Anderson’s home on Seventh Street. But the two men began arguing and then got into a fight.

Gray told police that he ran from the home with Anderson chasing him. He felt something hit his back three times. He looked at his arms and saw blood coming from them, according to the report.

Gray told police that Anderson shouted, “I’ll kill you” at him.

Gray made his way to Schwenk’s house on Hastings and asked her to call for help.

“I guess I was the only one with my porch light on,” she said.

Anderson is described as a white male with brown hair. He weighs about 160 pounds and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall.

Bergh said Anderson has been charged with several crimes in California, including burglary, battery and drug violations.