One of the two people charged in connection with a stabbing last fall in Sioux City has been sentenced. On Thursday, Dec. 4, a judge ordered 24-year-old Tariq Thomas to serve no more than 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, according to court documents.
In addition to the prison term, Thomas must pay a $1,370 fine, along with court costs and court-appointed attorney fees. The temporary no-contact order between Thomas and the victim, 24-year-old Saville Thomas, has also been extended for five years.
The sentencing follows the arrests of both Tariq and 34-year-old Mariah Thomas on Monday, Oct. 20. Police had been investigating a stabbing that sent one person to the hospital and eventually led detectives to uncover a violent altercation inside a Sioux City home, according to local NBC affiliate KTIV.
The incident took place on Saturday, Oct. 11, around 6:20 p.m. First responders were called after receiving reports of a person “covered in blood” walking in the 5900 block of Morningside Avenue. Officers found Saville Thomas suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a local hospital before being transferred to a facility in Omaha, Nebraska, for further treatment.
Detectives were soon called to investigate and traced the victim back to a residence at 2651 S. Lyons Street. Inside the home, they discovered evidence of a physical fight. According to investigators, Tariq and Saville Thomas are cousins, and the two had been drinking earlier that day.
Mariah Thomas’s role in the case has also drawn scrutiny. At her arraignment on Thursday, Oct. 30, she pleaded not guilty to one count of obstructing prosecution and defense and waived her right to a speedy trial. Police believe she tried to conceal evidence after the stabbing,” court documents reviewed by the TV station read.
Officers said Mariah attempted to clean blood inside the home and “wash off the driveway where there was a trail of blood from inside leading to the street” in an effort to prevent investigators from linking the scene to the stabbing. During a search of the residence, law enforcement found several items that suggested an attempted cleanup, including bleach and hydrogen peroxide on the kitchen counter.
Mariah Thomas is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 10 a.m. As she awaits further court proceedings, Tariq Thomas begins serving his sentence, bringing a partial resolution to a case that started with a chaotic emergency call and revealed a family dispute that escalated into violence.
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