A local man stabbed a woman multiple times as she shopped yesterday.

The frightening thing is that not even a month ago, he was accused of a horrendous act that should have landed him in jail.

19-year-old Tyrik Haynes of Chance Drive in Middletown has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing 29-year-old Kerri Dalton of Keansburg multiple times with a knife yesterday, puncturing both of her lungs.

Tyrik Haynes
Tyrik Haynes is being held on $1 million bail. (Facebook)
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She was shopping with her baby at the Bed, Bath & Beyond store on Rt. 35 near Magnolia Lane, and has no relationship with Haynes. According to WCBS-TV, the baby was not injured, and Dalton is in stable condition at Jersey Shore Medical Center.

Haynes is being held on $1 million bail.

The scary thing?

According to the Asbury Park Press, Haynes was arrested for using an aerosol can and a match to light a cat on fire on Christmas Eve. He was charged with inflicting unnecessary cruelty on a living creature, but apparently could not be charged with more because they never found the cat's body.

I'm sorry, torching a cat isn't enough to land someone in jail? Shouldn't it at very least require a psychiatric evaluation? Don't they usually say that those who mistreat and harm animals are more likely to harm people?

It's unbelievable to me that these things are overlooked so easily. I'd love to know when we will talk about mental health as openly and often as we talk about gun control and crime control.

A mental illness is not an 'excuse' for committing a crime, but I'd bet a lot fewer crimes would happen if people were receiving the treatment they need, whatever that may be. This guy showed one of the most classic warning signs there is and no one thought to keep an eye on him?

Is this just a risk we have to take with others or should we be doing more to control mental health issues? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

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