Dustin Diamond Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ In Switchblade Stabbing Case
Former child actor Dustin Diamond was in an Ozaukee County courtroom this week, where he entered a plea of not guilty after being accused of stabbing a man in the armpit. The 1990s star pleaded not guilty to three charges, which included disorderly conduct, recklessly endangering safety, and carrying of a concealed weapon — all of which are misdemeanors. Fox News 6 reported on the court appearance, also sharing that he is expected to be back in court at the end of February.
The charges stem from an incident that took place on Christmas while Diamond and his girlfriend were at the Grand Avenue Saloon. Diamond claims that he and his girlfriend were minding their own business, when a group of drunk individuals entered the bar and became belligerent with them. He said that a woman became rude with them when he refused to shake her hand. He said that he turned to close the bar tab and get their coats to leave, but when he did, they attacked his girlfriend, leaving her bloodied. He said that he acted in defense of his girlfriend, who was being assaulted by two men. However, he first tried to lie and claim that he used a pen to stab one of the men in the armpit, but later admitted that he was armed with a switchblade knife — a weapon that is not legal in the state of Wisconsin.
People Magazine reports that Dustin Diamond recently moved to Wisconsin with his girlfriend because the two of them have plans to start a family. His attorney, Thomas Alberti, pointed out that they wanted to live somewhere where they could avoid his notoriety as the character he played on the 1990s sitcom Saved by the Bell.
“They felt Wisconsin would be somewhere they wouldn’t have to deal with their notoriety. They decided at Christmas to go out and then this all happened.”
Dustin Diamond has reportedly been in jail this entire time, unable to post bail. That’s been made apparent by reports that the judge reduced his bail from $10,000 to $5,000. His attorney feels optimistic about the upcoming trial, as well. He told People Magazine that evidence is stacked in their favor.
“I’m feeling very positive about the outcome. The deeper we dig the more confident we feel about the outcome. The police and the prosecutor provided us with video and witness reports and everything we see completely supports what we said all along happened so we feel very good about it.”
Here’s hoping everything works out for the best. It should be noted that the alleged victim of the stabbing was never hospitalized, and recovered at home with non-life-threatening wounds. There’s no word yet on whether or not the alleged victim will testify in court against Diamond.
[Photo: ABC News]
