Orange County deputy stabbed

Efland, N.C. — An Orange County deputy was in stable condition after being stabbed in the left side of his body late Wednesday in Efland.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the deputy, whom officials had not identified as of Thursday afternoon, was stabbed after arriving at 6201 Cousin Drive to take William Alston III to UNC Memorial Hospital for involuntary mental commitment.

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Orange County deputy stabbed

When deputies arrived, a person at the front door told them Alston was in the back of the house. They found him in a bedroom speaking with a woman and a man.

Alston became upset when deputies tried to take him from the house and they had to wrestle him to the floor, officials said.

Alston had his right hand in his pocket as deputies wrestled with him, officials said. He pulled a knife and stabbed one of the deputies, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office said deputies handcuffed Alston while the family inside the house helped the injured deputy.

"The (injury) to our deputy was serious, and he remains hospitalized at this time," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement issued Thursday morning.

Family members said they did not want to comment on the situation, and a man who answered the door at the residence Thursday afternoon said the family is "just trying to move past this."

A bench warrant was issued for Alston in December for failing to appear in court on a probation violation. Probation officials said Alston failed to check in with his probation officer and failed to get substance abuse treatment.