Man says guardian angel told him to stab man during church service
MARION, N.C. July 1 2017
A worship service at a North Carolina church became the scene of a crime Wednesday night after a man tried to stab another man, Marion police said.
Chief Allen Lawrence said officers got a call just after 6:45 p.m. about a possible stabbing at East Marion Baptist Church, on Baldwin Avenue.
When officers arrived, two church members were holding down a man near the front entrance of the church, Lawrence said.
Investigators learned that Joshua Betke asked to speak to a man he called his case worker at the local men’s shelter, Lawrence said.
The man agreed to speak to Betke outside, and a church security member accompanied him, Lawrence said.
Betke pulled a knife once they got outside and tried to stab the man, according to Lawrence.
At one point, Betke said that his “guardian angel” had told him to do it, Lawrence said.
The church security member drew a legally concealed handgun and ordered Betke to the ground and to drop the knife, according to Lawrence.
Both men suffered small cuts during the altercation, Lawrence said.
Betke is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, Lawrence said. He is in custody at the McDowell County Jail, and is being held on a $18,100 bond, according to Lawrence.
