A Butler man accused of stabbing a woman while driving in Oakland Township had charges added to his case after police alleged there were two children in the back seat.

Jase W. Charlton, 29, pleaded not guilty after being accused of stabbing a woman in the upper thigh and leaving bruises across her body about two days before a May 8 traffic stop.

Charlton was initially charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one misdemeanor count of terroristic threats.

These and additional charges — two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and one felony count of intimidating witnesses — were held for court following a preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Lewis Stoughton on Tuesday, May 27.

Assistant district attorney Zoe Kecskemethy said subsequent interviews uncovered there were 6-month and 18-month-old children in the back seat at the time of the stabbing, and at a later time, a phone call established intimidation.

Police stopped Charlton and the woman in a Kia Sorento on May 8 after receiving a call from the woman’s friend, according to arresting officer Clayton Lehmeier.

Police said the woman’s friend informed them of the alleged stabbing and saw Charlton and the woman around May 6 get into an argument while the three were at her house. She said the argument ended when Charlton shoved the woman into the vehicle.

After stopping the vehicle May 8, Lehmeier testified he observed bruising on the woman’s chin, and the woman showed him the stitches on her upper left leg where she was allegedly stabbed. Lehmeier said he also observed dried blood on the seat and floor on the passenger side of the vehicle, and DNA swabs were taken.

Lehmeier testified the woman also had a mark on her neck consistent with a knife being held to it. He said Charlton was searched at the traffic stop and had a black folding pocketknife.

Lehmeier said Charlton was taken to Butler County Prison following the traffic stop and made a phone call at the prison. He said a deputy warden at the prison later emailed him a transcript and recording of the call between Charlton and the woman where Charlton allegedly asked her not to testify. A second unidentified woman was also on the line, Lehmeier said.

Defense attorney Patrick Casey said the testimony and evidence were based on hearsay since no one saw the stabbing when it occurred. Kecskemethy countered that some hearsay is allowed in a preliminary hearing to establish if a crime occurred.

Charlton’s formal arraignment is scheduled for 1 p.m. July 15 in Butler County Common Pleas Court. He’s being held in Butler County Prison on a $100,000 bond.