After a nightclub stabbing, a long time criminal may be headed back to prison. The Missouri Department of Corrections issued a warrant for a man accused of stabbing two security guards. Security guard, Shaun Caswell, says he and his coworker consider themselves lucky because their stab wounds will not leave them permanently injured. Police say convicted drug dealer, Edward Ball, stabbed both men while they were trying to remove him and a friend from Midnight Rodeo.
Caswell says the whole incident started when security asked an already banned Midnight Rodeo customer to leave. "I felt a sharp pain in my thigh," Caswell said. At the time, he didn't realize the pain was caused by the blade of a knife. “When I was coming up to him he was bending over with his first clenched and I didn't happen to see it at the time,” Caswell said. “The handle was probably hidden in his hand.”
Caswell says he also didn't know another security guard had already been stabbed. “He had blood everywhere,” Caswell said. “The knife ended up hitting his upper rib and it hit the bone and shot the knife up so it did not go through and puncture a lung.”
Caswell is on crutches unable to put a lot of weight on his left leg. “It cut down into the muscle and the muscle was cut open on the top of my quad along with a smaller laceration on the side,” Caswell said. “It got very close to hitting ligaments and tendons but fortunately I didn't have to have surgery.” Instead Caswell got a total of 33 stitches.
Caswell says his co-worker also had a close call. “The blade was more than enough to puncture and go through hit a vital organ, an artery a lung. He is very fortunate,” Caswell said. Police say while under arrest Ball spontaneously shouted "yeah I stabbed him. That's what you get when you disrespect people."
Over the last 11 years prosecutors in Greene County charged Ball 15 times for crimes ranging from drug possession, to drug trafficking to unlawful use of a weapon. He now faces two counts of felony assault and two counts of armed criminal action. Since 2001, Ball had his probation revoked three times sending him back to prison each time. He was most recently released from prison in March of 2008.
Timeline from Missouri Department of Corrections:
-February 28, 2001- Edward Ball was placed on 5 years probation for Unlawful Use of a Weapon
-September 4, 2001- Ball was declared an absconder
-December 6, 2001- Ball’s probation was revoked and he was sent to the Missouri Department of Corrections to participate in a 120-day treatment program
-March 19, 2002- Ball was released to 5 years probation
-July 26, 2002- Ball’s probation was suspended by the courts
-August 5, 2002- Ball was placed on abscond status
-August 13, 2002- Ball was re-engaged to probationary supervision.
-November 8, 2002- Ball’s probation was revoked
-November 21, 2002- Ball went back to Missouri Department of Corrections
-May 16, 2003- Ball received a new conviction for Drug Trafficking 2nd Degree.
-August 2, 2006- Ball was paroled
-March 1, 2007- Ball went back to prison for violation of conditions of parole.
-March 12, 2008- Ball was released to a custody detainer
-August 5, 2011- The Missouri Department of Corrections issued a warrant for his arrest
