An Auburn man has pleaded guilty to stabbing a teenage girl last summer in the city, according to District Attorney Jon Budelmann.
He announced the guilty plea in a press release on Tuesday. The case had been resolved the day before when James Scott, 37, of Auburn pleaded guilty to second-degree assault.
His trial was set to start soon. Scott faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison- with sentencing being adjourned until August 5.
The stabbing happened on July 14, 2020 around 3:30 p.m. when the girl was with her dog at the back yard of her Wall St. home.
Scott approached her with a pocket knife, displayed it, and demanded the dog. After the girl gave Scott the dog- he stabbed her in the back and shoulder and fled.
“The successful resolution by way of defendant guilty plea would not have been possible without the victim’s cooperation and that of her family, nor without the hard work by members of the Auburn Police Department,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Heather De Stefano said in the press release. “The guilty plea and promised sentence should send a loud, clear message that domestic violence crimes are taken very seriously and will not be tolerated in this community.”
Scott had three previous violent felony convictions, according to Budelmann.
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