Man arrested after police respond to unconscious man that was beaten, stabbed multiple times

UPDATE: According to the probable cause statement, when officers arrived on scene the victim was not breathing and was tied to the rear of a Jeep by a paracord type rope.

According to the press release, Powell told officers, “I put him there, because he’s threatening to kill my wife.”

Officers said they saw the campsite was full of blood and blood spatter and two bloody knives were recovered near Powell’s tent.

Officers said they spoke with Powell’s wife who said she was afraid of John and believed he was capable of hurting someone, which is why she stayed hidden in the tent during the assault.

Powell’s wife also told officers that during different points of the assault she could hear Powell saying, “Which limb do you want me to cut off first, I am going to break every bond in your body, and I am going to slit your throat.”

According to the probable cause statement, Powell has previous convictions of assault.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Lake of the Ozark police arrested John Powell, 39, after police responded to an unconscious man at a campground site.

Police said they responded to the campgrounds below the dam in the early morning on Sept. 22.

Police said when they arrived on scene they found an unconscious man near the bathhouse at the campground.

CPR was initiated and the subject was transported to Lake Regional and then transferred to University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia with life threatening injuries, police said.

Police said the investigation revealed that two men staying at the campground had gotten into a fight.

Powell was seen standing over the victim as officers arrived and was covered in blood, police said.

Police said Powell admitted to the officers that he had assaulted the victim.

Police said as the investigation continued it was found the victim was beaten, stabbed several times in the head, arms and hands and was then dragged behind a vehicle through the campgrounds for several hundred feet.

Police said Powell and his wife had been staying at the campgrounds for at least two weeks and the victim had just met them that day.

Powell was charged with assault and armed criminal action.

Powell is currently being held in the Miller County Jail on a $300,000 bond.