The owner of the Lawrence Super 8 motel on Thursday was charged with attempted first-degree murder after allegedly stabbing his wife in the business’ lobby Wednesday afternoon.

Navinkumar Patel

Navinkumar Patel, 46, of Shawnee, was arrested Wednesday after an officer responding to a disturbance at Super 8, 515 McDonald Drive, found a woman with multiple stab wounds in her abdomen just inside the building’s front doors, Lawrence Police spokesman Sgt. Trent McKinley said.

Dispatchers received a report about 1 p.m. Wednesday of a disturbance at Super 8 with possible “screaming or confusion in the background” of the call, McKinley said. Upon arrival, a police officer found a middle-aged woman and man just inside the motel lobby.

Officers later determined the incident began as a domestic dispute, McKinley said.

The woman, who McKinley said was an employee at the motel, was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. She remained hospitalized Thursday.

At Patel’s first appearance in court Thursday, Douglas County Judge Pro Tem James George referred to the female victim as Patel’s wife.

During Patel’s hearing, he seemed to have difficulty understanding the charge.

“You’re charged with attempting to kill somebody, OK?” George said.

Assistant Douglas County District Attorney Alice Walker said she was “concerned about the validity of (Patel’s) birth date.” A search of records with Patel’s name and birthday yielded multiple criminal issues, Walker said, including four immigration-related complaints.

Additionally, Walker said she believed Patel to be a flight risk because he may have the “monetary means to flee” because of his ownership of the Lawrence motel, though Patel was approved for a court-appointed attorney. For that reason, Walker asked that the judge order Patel to surrender his passport to jail officials if he makes bond.

Walker asked that Patel also be ordered not to contact his wife, nor return to their shared home in Shawnee or to the Super 8.

“We have extreme concerns about the victim,” Walker said.

George ultimately agreed to Walker’s terms, setting Patel’s bond at $500,000. Patel is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.