Man arrested after allegedly slashing fellow Trent shelter guest's face with box cutter

Feb. 6—A man was arrested Saturday at the Trent Resource and Assistance Shelter after he allegedly cut another man's face when the victim asked him to stop making discriminatory remarks, according to court documents.

Michael J. Kegley, 49, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault at the homeless shelter, 4320 E. Trent Ave. According to court documents, a man three beds away overheard Kegley making remarks about Jews and Black people.

The man, 27, asked Kegley to stop saying the racist remarks, to which Kegley replied something to the effect of, "I'm gonna come over and gut you," documents said.

Kegley is said to have gotten into the man's face and kissed him on the lips. The man pushed Kegley, who then produced a box cutter and lunged toward him, cutting his face around 12:45 a.m., documents said.

Police officers found the victim with a "significant and deep" laceration 2-3 inches across his face, running from his nose to his left eye, that required stitches.

Kegley remained in Spokane County Jail on $20,000 bond on Monday afternoon.

Kegley's criminal history includes numerous counts of violence and drug incidents dating back to the 1990s, court records show.

The Salvation Army has operated the Trent Resource and Assistance Shelter since November.