The investigation into last month’s Wheat Ridge Greenbelt-area double-stabbing took a bizarre twist today after police arrested the woman who was once thought to be a victim in the case, having claimed that a registered sex offender attacked her and her young child.
Police believe that Stephany Harwood, 21, of Lakewood, stabbed herself and her toddler son on Aug. 22, and then concocted a story to pin the blame on Marvin Gean Wilson, according to Wheat Ridge police Cmdr. Dave Pickett.
Harwood once helped police as a material witness in a 2007 Wheat Ridge case that involved Wilson and the alleged sexual assault of a child, according to Pickett.
But Pickett said that, through their investigation, police were able to determine that Harwood was making up Wilson’s involvement in the Greenbelt stabbing case.
When asked why Harwood would harm herself and her child, or why she singled out Wilson for whom to pin the blame, Pickett said, “It would be complete speculation.”
Harwood was arrested this afternoon and is being held at the Jefferson County jail on a felony charge of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury. She is being held on a $100,000 bond.
The arrest of Harwood marks a sharp turn of events that are much different than what had previously been reported by the police.
Harwood told police that as she was walking along a trail near 48th and Otis on the morning of Aug. 22, a man jumped out from behind a bush and stabbed her and her toddler son.
Harwood was stabbed in one of her legs and was treated and released at an area hospital. Her son was stabbed in the abdomen and was hospitalized.
Police circulated Wilson’s mug shot after the stabbing and the public was urged to call police if they came across him or knew of his whereabouts.
Wilson had been wanted on two arrest warrants for separate cases, prior to the Greenbelt stabbing, according to Pickett.
One of those was the Wheat Ridge case from six years ago; the other was a case out of Park County, for failing to register as a sex offender.
Pickett did not share information as to how police found out that Harwood was allegedly lying about what had happened.
