BUFFALO TWP — A woman accused of attacking a man with a butcher knife told police that she heard voices telling her to stab him, authorities said.

Buffalo Township police Monday charged 37-yearold Dawn N. Tattershall with a top count of attempted first-degree murder stemming from the alleged weekend attack.

She remains at Butler Memorial Hospital for mental health reasons.

But the victim, Dale Orris, 53, of Buffalo Township, who suffered knife wounds to the chest, back and arm, did not want police to charge the defendant, said Chief Tim Derringer.

He was treated at an Allegheny County hospital for injuries but his condition Tuesday was not known

Police said they were unsure of the relationship between Tattershall and Orris but believe they are acquaintances.

Derringer said Wednesday that he was not certain where the defendant was recently living. He said police records list “multiple addresses” for her in Butler, Armstrong and Allegheny counties.

A reported domestic disturbance about 5:45 p.m. Saturday sent officers to Coal Street where Orris lives. They got there and found the victim standing in the middle of the street.

“He was covered in blood when officers arrived on scene,” Derringer said.

The officers also saw a woman, later identified as Tattershall, run into a home while screaming, “shoot me,” according to court documents.

Police said Orris told them that the defendant stabbed him. The officers described the victim as having bleeding wounds to the middle of the chest, back and on his upper left arm.

Officers went to the house to took for Tattershall and had to force open the locked front door. She then ran into a back bedroom, police said, and apparently locked that door.

She yelled to police, “come in and shoot me,” documents said.

Officers again forced their way in, finding the defendant standing on the other side of the bed.

Derringer said the woman ignored police commands to get on the ground. Instead, she took a “defensive stance,” documents said.

She subsequently made a move toward an officer, who deployed his Taser, Derringer said. Afterward, she was placed in handcuffs.

Officers again spoke to Orris, who recounted that he and the defendant had been at the house “drinking alcoholic beverages all day,” according to a police affidavit.

They got into an argument at some point, he said, and Tattershall stabbed him.

“Orris then stated that he was able to get the knife off of Tattershall,” the affidavit said, “and then he doesn't remember anything after that.”

He was taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights for treatment.

Investigators said they spoke to a friend of the victim who told them that she saw the defendant stab the man.

Police later gathered bloody paper towels and other evidence from the alleged crime scene. Derringer said police also eventually recovered the knife.

Before being taken to the station, documents said, Tattershall told one of the officers that “the voices in her head told her to stab Orris and that she didn't mean to hurt anyone.”

At the station, police said, Tattershall made statements that she wanted to kill herself. Authorities decided to take her to the hospital, where she voluntarily committed herself for a mental health evaluation.

Derringer said police consulted with the County District Attorney's Office before they charged Tattershall with attempted murder of the first degree, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.

District Judge Sue Haggerty of Saxonburg in turn Monday issued police an arrest warrant for the defendant.

Police said they plan to arrest her once she is released from the hospital.

Tattershall's attorney, Scott Bitar of New Kensington, Westmoreland County, declined to comment about the case Wednesday.