A male student attacked the daughter of a Delaware County judge at Muncie Central High School with a knife Monday, leaving her with cuts to her throat and hands, officials said.
Police said they do not believe the attack on 16-year-old Leigh Ann Vorhees was linked to her mother, Marianne Vorhees, or her position as a Delaware Circuit Court judge.
''We can't find a motive of any kind,'' said Muncie Police Department Deputy Chief Terry Winters.
A 17-year-old, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, faces a preliminary charge of attempted murder in the attack, Winters said.
Police told WTHR-TV the boy was autistic.
The boy was being held at a juvenile detention center in Muncie and is scheduled to appear before a juvenile court judge on today, officials said.
Police said Vorhees was sitting alone in a classroom when the boy, a junior at the school, covered her mouth with his hand and put a knife to her neck.
The boy had been excused from class to go to the nurse's office after complaining of stomach pains, Winters said.
He went into the room where Vorhees was working as a teacher's assistant, got a tissue, left and then returned and attacked her from behind, according to police.
Vorhees screamed and fought the boy, wrestling the knife away.
"He said it was an accident," Winters said.
Officials said Vorhees had a four-inch cut across her neck. Injuries on her hands also required stitches. She was treated at a hospital and released within hours of the 8:30 a.m. attack.
Principal Dick Daniel said the confrontation was unexpected at the school of about 1,200 students.
"I've been there for several years now and this is the absolute worst thing that has happened," he said. The only other similar incident occurred a few years ago, when a student hit another student with a hammer, he said.
"We're working very hard to evaluate what we do to see if there was anything that we could have or should have done,' Daniel said. "We are certainly going to talk to the students and remind them once again that if they have info about potential problems, even if they don't take them seriously, that they need to let someone know. We want to make sure that all the kids understand that they play a big part in keeping the school safe."
School officials said the male student did not have any previous disciplinary problems at the school.
"Should a student be found guilty of such a serious crime the most likely punishment would be expulsion from school," Daniel said.
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