A 54-year-old man pleaded not guilty to slashing a grocery store employee’s neck in an unprovoked attack in Haleiwa.

John F. Mayhew appeared in Circuit Court on Monday via closed-circuit video link from the Oahu Community Correctional Center after he was indicted on a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the attack against Jerry Pedro, an assistant manager at Malama Market.

Deputy Public Defender Lee Hayakawa entered a not-guilty plea on Mayhew’s behalf.

Judge Colette Garibaldi confirmed Mayhew’s bail at $100,000 and set his trial for July.

On April 18 inside Malama Market, police said, Mayhew stabbed Pedro twice with a small knife, then dragged the blade across Pedro’s neck.

Police said Mayhew also repeatedly called Pedro a vampire. Police said Pedro fled the market, when a witness and two other men restrained Mayhew until officers arrived.

Paramedics transported Pedro, who suffered a lacerated trachea, to The Queen’s Medical Center in serious condition. He underwent surgery and was later upgraded to stable condition.

Pedro was discharged from Queen’s on April 26 and is able to talk, said Malama Market spokeswoman Sheryl Toda. “His spirits are great, and he says he can’t wait to go back to work,” she said.

Pedro could not be reached for comment.

A mental health court panel indicated Mayhew suffers from schizophrenia, according to court records related to a terroristic threatening case.