The Merck Gate at the intersection of Allentown Road and Sumneytown Pike in Upper Gwynedd.
A kitchen staffer at the Merck facility in Upper Gwynedd Township was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly attempted to stab a coworker.
The incident occurred just before 2 p.m. along the 700 block of Sumneytown Pike and was precipitated by an argument between the victim and his coworker, identified as 27-year-old Kettlyn Monestime, of Upper Darby. The victim told police that he had gotten into an argument with Monestime over Monestime interrupting the victim’s break, according to charging documents.
Monestime allegedly “became enraged” and challenged the victim to a fight, and when the victim declined and began to walk away, Monestime allegedly lunged at the victim but missed. Monestime then said, “I’m going to kill you,” grabbed a kitchen knife in a reverse grip, and lunged at the victim again, police said.
The victim told police he ran towards the Merck Security Center with Monestime in chase, at which point their supervisor stepped in and ordered Monestime to drop the knife, according to police.
Two witnesses corroborated the victim’s account of the incident, however Monestime told police on scene that the victim had challenged him to a fight outside during the initial argument, and when he went to follow the victim outside to fight, he was stopped by his supervisor, investigators said. Monestime allegedly acknowledged having a kitchen knife in his hand at the time, but stated he was not going to use it, according to the criminal complaint.
Monestime was arrested and taken into custody on a felony charge of attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon along with misdemeanor charges of terroristic threats and simple assault. Court records show he was arraigned on Wednesday morning and is currently being held at the county jail in lieu of 10% of $25,000 cash bail.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Merck provided the following statement:
"We were notified about an altercation between two food service contractors at our West Point site. We are cooperating with local law enforcement and have no further comment at this time."
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
See also:
Harleysville Man Arrested in Connection with Merck Employee Who Fatally Overdosed While at Work
Cleaning Contractor Accused of Stealing More Than $15,000 in Cash, Checks from Merck Employees
Man Accused of Attempting to Steal Catalytic Converters at Merck, North Montco Tech Parking Lots
Merck Employees Schedule Thursday Protest Over Vaccine Requirement
Phone Spoofing Used to Steal Identities from Merck Credit Union
