A Groton man accused of stabbing his cousin in the chest and neck with a screwdriver pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree assault when he made his first appearance Tuesday in the New London court where major crimes are tried.

Richard Sawyer IV, 33, whose last known address was a rooming house at 128 Poquonnock Road, has been held in lieu of $500,000 since Groton City police arrested him Sept. 14.

During the court appearance, Judge Hillary B. Strackbein appointed attorney Kevin C. Barrs from the public defender's office to represent Sawyer, reminded him there is a protective order in place prohibiting him from contact with his cousin, 25-year-old Noah Sawyer of Mystic, and continued the case to Nov. 5.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit prepared by Detective Paul Ruddy, Richard Sawyer called 911 at 2:15 a.m. to report that his cousin had fallen in the woods and had a small puncture wound to the upper left side of his rib cage and a scratch wound extending from the left side of his neck to the left side of his chin.

The cousins were at the rooming house with another man, 45-year-old Ronald Fillmore, and all three were "severely intoxicated."

The victim was treated at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where personnel told police the puncture wound to Noah Sawyer's chest, which had caused one of his lungs to collapse, was not consistent with a fall and appeared to have been made by a screwdriver. 

Ruddy examined a puncture hole in Noah Sawyer's shirt and found a cross symbol that appeared to have been created by a Phillips head screwdriver.

Asked about the incident, Richard Sawyer said his cousin told him he had been stabbed by a group of black guys but that he didn't believe him, according to the affidavit. 

During a follow-up interview, he admitted it was "likely as hell" that he stabbed his cousin and said that he blacks out regularly when he drinks while taking medication.

The police interviewed family members and learned that Richard Sawyer had sent his father a text several hours after the incident that stated, "I didn't men to hurt him like that. he just kept saying more and more dumb stuff."

The father told police his son needs court-mandated help, according to the affidavit.

The victim was at first reluctant to implicate his cousin but agreed to give a statement after telling police Richard Sawyer needs to go to jail, "at least for at while," but ultimately needs mental health treatment. 

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN