A 58-year-old worker was hospitalized after police said he was attacked near dumpsters behind an Albany restaurant following an earlier workplace dispute.
ALBANY, Ga. — Police are searching for a 32-year-old former Cracker Barrel employee accused of stabbing a 58-year-old worker outside an Albany restaurant after an argument inside the business, according to an incident report and local police.
Albany police identified the man they are seeking as Marshall Dowell. Officers responded at about 8:48 p.m. Sept. 18 to the Cracker Barrel at 1114 N. Westover Blvd. after receiving a report of a stabbing. Dowell had left before officers arrived, police said, and attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. No arrest had been announced in the latest reports reviewed Wednesday.
Officers arriving at the restaurant found blood near a rear exit and additional drops leading toward a dumpster in the parking lot, according to the police report described by WALB. A restaurant manager told investigators she saw the injured employee walking back toward the building after taking out trash. The manager noticed that the worker was bleeding and had several injuries.
The 58-year-old employee was taken to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital for treatment. Police have not publicly released his name or provided an updated condition. Reports based on the incident record said he suffered injuries to his upper back, left shoulder and left hand or wrist. Authorities have not disclosed whether any of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
The worker told investigators at the hospital that the dispute began earlier when a plate accidentally fell onto Dowell, according to the incident report. He said Dowell became angry and threatened him. The worker later went outside to take out trash, where police allege another confrontation occurred near the dumpsters.
The injured employee told investigators that Dowell cursed at him, pushed his head and struck him in the left shoulder during the encounter. The employee said he moved away and then realized he was bleeding from several areas. Police described the incident as a reported stabbing, but the available reports do not identify a weapon or say that investigators recovered one.
The restaurant manager told officers that the injured worker had said Dowell threatened him earlier in the evening and later attacked him while he was outside. Police found Dowell had already left the property when they arrived. The department subsequently released his name and photograph while asking for help locating him.
Police have not publicly detailed Dowell’s previous employment at the restaurant, including when or why he stopped working there. The available reports also do not identify any additional witnesses to the confrontation near the dumpster or say whether surveillance footage captured the alleged attack.
Authorities have not announced specific criminal charges against Dowell in the reports reviewed Wednesday. Police have described him as wanted in connection with the stabbing investigation and accused him of attacking the worker. The allegations have not been proven in court, and no account from Dowell was included in the available reporting.
Albany police were continuing to seek Dowell as the investigation remained open. No arrest or further update on the injured worker’s condition had been publicly announced in the latest reports reviewed as of Sept. 23.
Author note: Last updated September 23, 2026.