Police Say Drug Dispute Led to Brutal Stabbing, Beating

The Salem teen who beat and stabbed his mother Thursday morning on Cluff Crossing Road allegedly did so because his mother refused to give him his Adderall because she believed he was "overtaking" his medication.

Thomas George, 18, of  103 Cluff Crossing Road, Apt. Z-6, pleaded not guilty to two first-degree assault with a deadly weapon charges during his arraignment Thursday afternoon in Salem District Court in connection to his attack on Catherine George, who was medflighted to Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.

George was held on $250,000 cash-only bail after Salem Police Department prosecutor Jason Grosky outlined several reasons why the state believes George to be a danger to the community and others, including the fact that he threatened to stab his mother on Wednesday because she withheld the medication.

Detective Steve A. Woidyla wrote in the official affidavit that Catherine George said the assault took place around 8 a.m. Thursday while she was in bed. She told police that Thomas George entered her room "holding a hammer in one hand and a knife in the other" while "demanding his Adderall."

Catherine George told police she gave her son the medication despite her reservations one day earlier. Thomas George then "attacked" her by stabbing the right side of her neck, her right hand and left leg, according to Woidyla.

Woidyla said Thomas George also hit his mother on the head with the hammer as she tried to defend herself, later holding her down and telling her to "bleed out, bleed out - just let go," according to the affidavit.

"The facts that are alleged are highly concerning to the state in terms of dangerousness," said Grosky, also stating that Thomas George was a patient "at a secure portion of a hospital" in Massachusetts "for psychiatric reasons" within the "last couple of weeks."

Thomas George then fled the scene in his mother's green Kia Sephia before officers arrived, eventually leading police to Derry, where the man dumped the vehicle. As police converged on the area with K9s and search teams, Thomas George reportedly stole a green Chevy Blazer — the keys to which were inside the vehicle — and drove it back to Salem.

Salem Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten has said police received a tip from a citizen who recognized George from news reports.

George allegedly left the Blazer near the Rockingham Park racetrack and crossed Rockingham Park Boulevard before running through a wooded area behind the Shaw's shopping center and then into his apartment complex at 103 Cluff Crossing Road around 11:20 a.m.

An officer who remained at the apartment saw Thomas George approach the building on foot. George wasn't wearing a shirt, was barefoot and had blood on his left foot, according to the affidavit.

He was apprehended without incident.

Thomas George could be seen limping or walking with difficulty on his way out of the courtroom Wednesday, although it was unclear whether that was due to an injury he sustained or his restraints.

Thomas George allegedly appeared in Salem District Court in May in connection to a heroin possession charge, and Grosky said authorities believe the teen has a "significant heroin addiction" and hasn't been compliant with the terms of his probation.

Because of this, Thomas George was also arraigned Thursday on a probation violation charge.

Thomas George is scheduled for a probable cause hearing in Salem District Court on Thursday, Oct. 31. The exact time of that hearing wasn't known Thursday, although Grosky said it will likely be around 10 a.m. if George doesn't waive the appearance.

Thomas George was ordered not to have any contact with his mother or his 15-year-old brother. Grosky said there was some "building animosity" between the George brothers "leading up" to Thursday's assault.