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Retiree stabbed at his residence

The Palm Harbor man, 64, is seriously injured in his mobile home, the scene in August of a couple of domestic issues.

By SHEELA RAMAN
Published October 13, 2006

PALM HARBOR - A 64-year-old man was stabbed in his mobile home on Wednesday night, and the Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident as an attempted murder.

About 10:50 p.m., Malcolm Hair was found in the kitchen of his home at the Frontier Mobile Home Park. He was seriously injured with multiple stab wounds, deputies said, adding they have found the knife.

There are no suspects, the Sheriff's Office said.

Hair was taken by helicopter to a local hospital, where he remained as of Thursday night. His condition is no longer life-threatening, said sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner.

The victim's roommate, Karen McGee, 39, reported the stabbing in a call to 911. She had been asleep in the residence when the attack occurred, deputies said.

Deputies had been to the residence in August to settle domestic issues. On Aug. 9, a man at the home called 911 to report that his girlfriend was beating him up.

About 20 minutes later, deputies received another call from a neighbor, who was calling on behalf of the man, who had asked him to call because he was getting beaten up by his girlfriend, Bordner said.

Then, on Aug. 15, deputies received a call from McGee asking for their presence at the residence while she carried her belongings out of the residence.

Robert Kemp, 40, who lives next door, said he was sleeping when the Wednesday incident occurred, and heard no noises of breaking and entering. He said he moved to Frontier Mobile Home Park in July, and has known Hair since then.

"He was just a nice, retired old man collecting Social Security," Kemp said. Hair was involved in the neighborhood and attended all the crime-watch meetings, Kemp said.

Kemp said Hair seemed to have a girlfriend who stayed with him on and off.

Kemp and other neighbors said Hair was nicknamed "Mr. Wilson," in reference to a character in the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

Late Thursday afternoon, as Hair was in the hospital, all of the blinds were drawn and no one appeared to be in the residence.

Kemp looked over at the home. "I'm just anxious about this," he said.

"We've never had anything this serious happen."

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 22:37:59]