Son charged in stabbing of Virginia pastor father

PURCELLVILLE, Va. — Authorities believe that a well-known northern Virginia pastor was stabbed by his son in his own home Monday.

According to the Loudon County Sheriff's Office, Dave Janney, pastor of Purcellville Baptist Church for more than 20 years, was stabbed by his 19-year-old son Jonathan Janney.

Dave Janney is in stable condition.

"It's very disturbing. We love him so," said Vickie Leigh, a member of Leesburg Baptist Church who knows the pastor.

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In a mugshot of Jonathan Janney released by the sheriff's office, marks from a struggle are visible on his face. He is charged with aggravated malicious wounding.

David Janney's teenage daughter called 911 after the Monday afternoon stabbing. Two Purcellville police officers, who arrived first, may have saved the pastor's life by stopping the bleeding.

"I was so thankful our officers were trained in medic kits to take care of him on the scene," said Purcellville Police Chief Cynthia McAlister.

Police found the knife in the home, but the son was gone.  Nearby schools were on lockdown for a short time until police spotted David Janney a short distance away. The chief said David Janney did not run or try to hide, as if he didn't know how much trouble he was in.

"He's not known to be a kid of violence," McAlister said. "This was a total unknown for us. Are there issues? Obviously. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of them, and the court system can help turn this around for them."

McAlister said the two police officers know the pastor as he has been the chaplain for the Purcellville Police Department for many years.

"He's always been there for us. I'm glad we were there for him (Monday), for sure," McAlister said.

Friends delivered flowers and came to visit the Janney home Tuesday. Nobody at the home or the church wanted to speak about the stabbing.

"He's been here for 20 years. Everybody adores him," Leigh said.

Church leaders thanked the community and friends for their outpouring of love and support. They said the pastor remains in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.

Jonathan Janney is being held at the Loudoun County Detention Center without bond.

Follow Peggy Fox on Twitter: @PeggyTV