Newport Police Respond To Lucky Pawn Apartments

Newport police responded to the Lucky Pawn apartments on West Broadway Tuesday night in reference to a break in and a stabbing. Officers spoke with apartment tenants Roger Ashworth and Michele Sizemore…both were bleeding from cuts. Ashworth had a laceration on his right arm and Sizemore was bleeding from a cut on her right hand. Both said that 49 year old Billy Steward entered their apartment uninvited and unannounced and began arguing with the two about the sale of a computer. Steward at one point threw a bucket of mop water across the apartment then pulled out a pocket knife. Ashworth says he stepped in front of Michele Sizemore to protect her and Steward slashed him across the arm. Sizemore got cut on the hand during the scuffle before she grabbed a baseball at to defend themselves. That is when Steward fled. He was located a shot distance away at a residence on Melton Avenue. Steward did have a pocket knife which appeared to have been cleaned but did have what appeared to be dried blood on it. Steward was also wanted in Hamblen County for probation violation. He was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated burglary.