A stranger opened the back door of an Oak Harbor residence May 9 and asked a girl if he could walk through the house, which she refused. When her dad went to investigate, the man tried to stab him, according to court documents.

The suspect, 42-year-old William S. Rudy of Langley, appeared in Island County Superior Court May 9. The judge ordered him held on $50,000 bail.

Prosecutors charged Rudy in Superior Court May 11 with assault in the second degree and criminal trespass in the first degree.

According to the police report on the incident, the homeowner said he went into his backyard to find the man after his 14-year-old daughter told him what had happened. He found Rudy at a shed off the back patio.

The man said he went to grab Rudy to find out what he was doing, but Rudy pulled a knife and lunged at him with it, the report states. The man grabbed a metal stick to protect himself while his two German shepherds attacked Rudy.

Rudy jumped over the fence to the neighbor’s yard, the man told police.

According to the police report, a short time later, Rudy was detained at a Northwest Crosby Avenue location and the victim identified him as the man from his yard, the report states.

If convicted of the crimes against him, Rudy could face from 12 to 14 months in prison under the standard sentencing range.