Orrville Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Two Wayne County Deputies Stabbed
WAYNE COUNTY, Ohio — An Orrville man accused of stabbing two Wayne County Sheriff’s deputies during a suspicious-person call in Congress Township is now facing four first-degree felony charges, according to newly filed Wayne County court documents.
Chad Alan Palmer, 34, of Orrville, was charged in Wayne County Common Pleas Court with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault, all first-degree felonies, after the May 12 incident involving two uniformed Wayne County Sheriff’s deputies.
According to the criminal complaint, Palmer is accused of attempting to purposely cause the death of two victims on or about May 12, 2026. The complaint also alleges Palmer knowingly caused or attempted to cause physical harm to both victims with a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, identified in court documents as a knife. The complaint further states that both victims were peace officers.
The incident began Tuesday morning when Wayne County deputies responded to the area of 100 South Maple Street in Congress for a suspicious-person call. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective Eric Peters of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, deputies located Palmer walking southbound on Congress Road and attempted to stop him so they could speak with him.
The affidavit states Palmer allegedly lunged at the deputies, wrestled with them, and stabbed both deputies with a knife.
Court documents allege Palmer then ran to a shed east of the incident location, broke into the shed, and doused himself with gasoline. When law enforcement made contact with him, Palmer allegedly threatened to set the shed on fire. The affidavit states Palmer did not have permission to be in the building or on the property.
After officers continued speaking with Palmer, he was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Ashland County Jail.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has requested that Palmer be held without bond. In a filing, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joey C. Marullo wrote that Palmer is charged with felonious assault and attempted murder of two uniformed law enforcement officers and poses a significant risk to law enforcement and the broader community.
In a separate request for a no-bond hearing under Ohio Revised Code 2937.222, prosecutors alleged Palmer has a prior felonious assault conviction involving a law enforcement officer as the victim, as well as a prior case in which he fled from law enforcement in a motor vehicle. Prosecutors argued Palmer is a danger to law enforcement, the community and himself.
Wayne County Common Pleas Judge Timothy R. Vansickle set Palmer’s initial appearance for May 14, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office previously reported that both deputies required emergency medical treatment. Both were initially taken to Wooster Community Hospital, and one deputy was later flown by Life Flight to Summa Health Systems in Akron. Both deputies have since been released from the hospital and are recovering.
The case remains under investigation. Palmer is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
