Gay contractor who faces charges in slashing served time in jail, prison
 |
| Arthur Morrison |
A gay home improvement contractor who recently was charged with aggravated assault in connection with a Katy Trail slashing attack has a long criminal conviction record dating back almost two decades.
Arthur Roy Morrison, 44, who is being held in the Dallas County Jail on $75,000 bond, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a July 30 attack on a bike rider. The female victim, Jennifer Tunay, alleged Morrison became enraged when she and her husband passed his bike on the trail, and that he attacked her with a box cutter.
The criminal record of Morrison, who according to the Dallas County district attorney’s office has also used the alias Arthur Roy Hanson, shows nine misdemeanor and felony convictions for aggravated assault, fleeing from law enforcement officers, driving while intoxicated, criminal mischief, robbery and theft. He has served time in county and state jail in Dallas and state prison in Huntsville.
Morrison’s most recent conviction was in 2004 for felony criminal mischief charges. He was also arrested on suspicion of theft in 1984, on suspicion of making terroristic threats in 1988 and on suspicion of criminal mischief in 1998, but the charges were dropped in connection with those three cases.
Morrison formerly advertised his home improvement services to the LGBT community and lived in the Oak Lawn area when he was not in custody. He reportedly went by the nickname “Captain.”
Dallas police arrested Morrison on Aug. 11 after a Richardson Bike Mart associate contacted police.
The associate suspected one of his customers was wanted in connection with the woman’s assault.
Morrison reportedly took his bike to the store to get a tire fixed, and employees delayed making the repairs until police arrived.
Tunay’s husband, Bryan Kilburn, had called bike stores in the Dallas area to ask them to be watching for a man bringing a bike in for repairs.
Tunay had given bike stores a description of the suspect, which apparently matched Morrison’s.
Morrison is 5-foot-6-inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, according to a Dallas Police Department report.
Tunay and Kilburn told police they were riding their bikes on the trail near Fitzhugh Avenue about 9 p.m. when the attack occurred.
A man rode up beside Tunay and started yelling and slashing her with a box cutter after they had encountered him on the trail a few moments earlier.
The trio had apparently exchanged words while passing each other on the trail that is used by walkers, joggers and bikers.
Tunay and her husband fought off the attacker after she was slashed, damaging the man’s bike during the scuffle.
Tunay suffered two gashes on her arm, and was cut on her upper chest.
E-mail webb@dallasvoice.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 24, 2007