A man who stabbed a Smartt Station resident earlier this year has been given probation for the attack.
The man, Travis Ryan Butcher, 33, had his felony charges reduced to two misdemeanors. He entered guilty pleas to charges of simple assault and aggravated criminal trespass.
Butcher was directed by General Sessions Judge Bill Locke to remain on probation for two years and make $3,000 restitution to the victim, William Murphy, for his hospital bills. He was granted a judicial diversion, meaning he can have his criminal record erased once he has completed his pro-bation.
His sentence comes for stabbing Murphy in May at a home in Smartt Station. Murphy sus-tained 3-inch lacerations to his leg and arms during the incident.
“Travis Butcher went to Smartt Station Road after he found that Murphy had cut a power cord on his laptop computer,” said sheriff’s investigator Aaron Roberts of the motivation behind the con-frontation.
Murphy told investigators he heard a loud knock on the door that woke him from his slumber on the couch. Thinking it was his sister and her boyfriend, he opened the door to a rude awakening.
“Butcher struck him in the head with the laptop computer,” said Roberts, who noted hitting Murphy over the head with the computer was just the start. “He pushed him into the house and con-tinued to assault him once inside. During the altercation, Butcher pulled and knife and cut the victim on his leg and arm.”
Roberts said Murphy required stitches to close the wounds inflicted during the attack.