Suspect in abduction, attack surrenders

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A suspect in a woman's abduction and stabbing has surrendered to authorities in Tulsa. <br><br>Melvin Armond Goree, 37, turned himself in Wednesday. He was charged July 18 with

Thursday, August 7th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A suspect in a woman's abduction and stabbing has surrendered to authorities in Tulsa.

Melvin Armond Goree, 37, turned himself in Wednesday. He was charged July 18 with attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping, unauthorized use of a vehicle and violation of a protective order.

The attempted first-degree murder charge has since been amended to a charge of assault with intent to kill, court records show.

Goree's former girlfriend, Kymberli Harris, was hospitalized in mid-July after she was abducted and attacked on July 16. Police say Goree forced her off the road with his vehicle, broke the window with a lawn tool and pushed his way into her car.

Police said Goree forced her to drive to the home of one of his friends.

``Kym jumped out of the car, screaming for help,'' the victim's mother, Ermastine Harris, said previously. ``Witnesses said that he grabbed her and put her in a choke hold and drug her into the house. Neighbors who saw what had happened tried to get in the door, but the door was locked. He cut her and left her to die in there.''

Harris' attacker slashed her throat, stabbed her three times in the chest and slashed her wrists. When Goree left, the neighbors were able to get inside and help Harris, police said.

Harris has a permanent protective order against Goree, but court records show that he had violated it many times since it was issued by a Tulsa County judge in 1997.

When Harris sought the protective order against Goree, she said he had hit and choked her and verbally threatened her on May 5, 1997.

He pleaded guilty to assault for that attack and received 90 days' probation.

Goree was arrested and charged in June 1999 in connection with another assault on Harris, but the charges were dismissed when she did not pursue his prosecution.

In May 2001, Goree slammed Harris to the ground twice, court records show. Goree pleaded guilty July 6, 2001, to violating a protective order, domestic assault and battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and resisting an officer.

He was sentenced to two years in prison for unauthorized use of a vehicle and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Goree was discharged from Oklahoma Department of Corrections' custody in May 2002 to begin serving five years of probation, DOC records show.

He remained in the Tulsa Jail late Wednesday in lieu of $360,000 bond, jail records show.