A Dresslerville man was sentenced Tuesday to up to six years in prison in connection with a May 14 stabbing that occurred last spring in Lampe Park.
Brandon C. Brown Jr., 21, asked Judge Dave Gamble to give him probation, but Gamble said the level of violence in the crime called for a harsher penalty. Gamble sentenced Brown to 16-72 months in prison in the incident which resulted in substantial bodily harm to the victim.
"The level of violence prevents me from doing what you just asked me to do," Gamble said. "The violence, the injury to the victim, the recklessness and use of this weapon makes it so I'm unable to give you probation."
Brown read a written statement to the court apologizing for the incident.
"I'm very sorry for what happened," he said. "I would take it all back if I could."
Brown said he felt he was defending himself.
"It's time to grow up and take care of myself," he said. "If I get probation I will do whatever it takes to get my life in order."
Defense attorney Kris Brown told Gamble that her client wasn't looking for a fight when the incident happened.
She said Brown thought the victim had a knife and that he was protecting himself.
"He believed that (Brandon) Robertson was going to pull a knife, and that's why he did," she said.
Kris Brown said evaluations of her client indicated he suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, which was exacerbated by his drug and alcohol use.
She said Brown required extensive support to counteract the effects of the syndrome.
Prosecutor Erik Levin said he didn't see the case as one of self defense.
While it's true the victim challenged Brown to fight, there were several opportunities to de-escalate the confrontation before the stabbing occurred, he said.
"This is not a rehab case," Levin said. "This attack involved multiple stab wounds and calls for severe punishment. In the end someone makes a choice about their behavior. This merits the maximum sentence."
