AUBURN — Raikuez Melchoirre pleaded not guilty Friday to a single charge of elevated aggravated assault in a stabbing in Lewiston in June.

Melchoirre, 34, of Lewiston was indicted on the charge Tuesday. He has been held on $7,000 cash bail at the Androscoggin County Jail since the June 19 stabbing.

According to court records, Melchoirre and a number of other people were attending a party in a third-floor apartment at 73 College St. on June 19 when Melchoirre got into a fight with 22-year-old Richard Edwards Jr.

Witnesses told police the two men were punching each other, and then Melchoirre bit Edwards’ ear. As the fight escalated, Melchoirre is alleged to have pulled a 6-inch buck-style knife from his pocket and stabbed Edwards more than 20 times in the chest, side and neck.

During the stabbing, others in the apartment tried to break up the fight, witnesses told police, including one man who hit Melchoirre with a baseball bat as others tried to pull Edwards and Melchoirre apart.

After the fight, Edwards was taken to Central Maine Medical Center, where he underwent surgery for his injuries. Court records indicate that Edwards expects to undergo additional operations in the future, as he recovers from his wounds.

Melchoirre, represented by court-appointed attorney Henry Griffin, did not ask Justice MaryGay Kennedy to adjust his bail when he appeared in Androscoggin County Superior Court on Friday, so bail was maintained at $7,000 cash. If released, his bail conditions prohibit the use or possession of alcohol and drugs, and he may not possess dangerous weapons or have any contact with the victim in this case, or anyone else who was attending the June party.

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