Christopher Thomas Rhone (Waynesboro Police Dept.)
A 43-year-old Pennsylvania man previously convicted of burning down his 85-year-old grandmother’s house while she was still inside has been arrested again, this time for allegedly trying to kill his own father by slitting the elderly man’s throat with a kitchen knife as he slept.
Christopher Thomas Rhone was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count each of criminal attempted homicide and aggravated assault — attempting to cause severe bodily injury or causing injury with extreme indifference to human life, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a report from the Daily Voice, troopers with the Pennsylvania State Police at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Sunday responded to a call about a disturbance at a residence located in the 6500 block of Mountain Drive in Chambersburg, about 140 miles west of Philadelphia. The caller reported an active domestic dispute inside the home involving a weapon.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders say they first located the victim standing in the doorway of the residence. He was holding a towel to his neck and throat area, which troopers said was “dripping blood” and showed that the victim had lost “significant amounts of blood,” per the Voice.
The victim’s name was not disclosed in the probable cause affidavit.
Emergency Medical Services and police personnel immediately rushed the victim to a landing zone at the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Company, Chambersburg news radio station WEEO-FM reported. While waiting for a life flight helicopter, the victim reportedly told authorities that he was sleeping on his couch when his son — later identified as Rhone — awoke him and began attacking with a knife taken from the kitchen.
Authorities say they found Rhone on the property and took him into custody.
The victim was reportedly transported to a level-one trauma center for treatment. The medical staff that treated the victim told investigators that he sustained “multiple puncture wounds and lacerations to the neck, head, and face,” according to the Voice. One of the lacerations to the victim’s neck — a vertical slice — was particularly dangerous, with medics saying it was long and deep enough “bubbles could be seen in the wound with the inhale and exhale of the victim,” the affidavit reportedly states.
Authorities did not speculate why Rhone allegedly attempted to slit his father’s throat.
Rhone was transported to Franklin County Jail where he is currently being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear before Magisterial District Judge Duane K. Cunningham for his arraignment on April 3.
The alleged assault on his father is far from the first time Rhone has been in legal trouble over the wellbeing of a family member. He was previously convicted of setting his 85-year-old grandmother’s house on fire in 2015 while the elderly woman was inside the home, according to Public Opinion newspaper.
Shortly after the blaze was set, Rhone’s stepmother asked him why he did it and he reportedly responded that the home was “dirty” and he “had to clean it.”
He was convicted on one count of criminal mischief and served 666 days in prison.
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