Okla. pastor recovering from stab wounds after woman wielding dagger attacks church service

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Monday, December 29, 2025

An Oklahoma pastor is recovering from stab wounds after an altercation at his church last week. 

In a statement last Monday, Police Chief Jeremy Cantrell of the Pryor Creek Police Department announced that law enforcement responded to a “reported disturbance" at the Church of Christ in Pryor earlier that day.

“Upon arrival, officers located an active physical altercation inside the church,” Cantrell said. 

“An adult staff member sustained injuries, including lacerations, and was provided immediate medical care before being transported to a Tulsa-area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” he added. “An adult female was taken into custody following officer intervention and was transported to the Mayes County Jail on a federal hold after medical evaluation. The scene was quickly secured, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. Due to the suspect’s tribal status, the suspect has been referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” 

Cantrell provided additional details about the incident in a subsequent Facebook post last Tuesday. “It is clear the attack was unprovoked, deliberate, and intentional,” he wrote. “The suspect attacked the pastor with a dagger.”

He added that “two senior parishioners immediately came to the aid of the pastor, placing themselves directly in harm’s way without hesitation.”

“Their actions very likely prevented more serious injury,” he said. “The pastor sustained stab wounds to his hand and received stitches to his chin. He is expected to undergo surgery on his hand. Even after being stabbed, the pastor remained calm and composed under circumstances most people would not.”

Cantrell expressed gratitude that “the pastor is expected to make a full recovery” and praised the parishioners who intervened as “true examples of bravery, selflessness, and faith” and lauded their ability to disarm the suspect. 

Although Cantrell did not identify the suspect or the victim in the attack, the website for the Pryor Church of Christ names DJ Castoe as the pastor.

A Facebook post by John Lovitt, a retired minister who served at multiple churches, including Pryor Church of Christ, shared a local news report naming the suspect as Whitney Adney. 

“This disturbed individual tried to kill DJ Castoe, the preacher at the Pryor church of Christ, where I once preached, and DJ was in our youth group back then,” Lovitt said. “He has to have surgery Wednesday in the hospital. I pray he has a full recovery and that this woman is kept from being a danger to anyone else.” 

The local news report shared by Lovitt on Facebook included information from the probable cause affidavit filed in federal court stating that local law enforcement discovered the pastor “bleeding and holding down Adney” after encountering one of the senior parishioners “holding a black dagger” and “asking for help” after disarming the suspect. The social media post also stated that the suspect was “yelling something about a cult.”