Westmoreland man arrested for stabbing mother while she slept, state police say

A Hunker man was arrested early Tuesday morning after troopers responded to an active domestic disturbance and learned that a man had stabbed his mother as she slept.

Kort Noel Eckman, 45, was charged with felony counts of criminal attempted homicide and aggravated assault, misdemeanor counts of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person and a summary count of harassment.

At around 1:15 a.m., state police in Greensburg were called to a home in the 600 block of Armbrust-Hecla Road in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County.

They found the victim, a 78-year-old woman, in the front seat of a vehicle in the driveway, according to the complaint. She had stab wounds to the chest and right forearm.

They gave her life-saving aid while waiting for EMS to arrive.

She was taken by Mutual Aid EMS to Forbes Hospital and was last reported to be in stable condition.

Eckman was taken into custody by troopers. He told them he got a knife from the kitchen and went into his mother’s bedroom while she slept, stabbing her 10-20 times, according to the complaint.

Eckman was arraigned and taken to the Westmoreland County Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.

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