This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 26-year-old man was sentenced Monday to a year in jail for stabbing his co-worker with a kitchen knife at a Summit County party in June.
Patrick Ryan Flaherty pleaded guilty in December to one count of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony for which the maximum penalty is 15 years in prison.
But 3rd District Judge Todd Shaughnessy suspended the prison sentence Monday and ordered Flaherty to instead serve a year in jail, three years of probation and pay a $1,000 fine. He will begin serving his sentence in two weeks.
According to court documents, an offended co-worker punched Flaherty in the face after Flaherty made derogatory comments "about African Americans and homosexuals" during a party on June 22. When Flaherty approached the man to apologize, the man asked Flaherty if he knew why he was apologizing.
That's when a fight broke out between the two. During the scuffle, Flaherty stabbed the man in the chest and thigh with a kitchen knife and ran.
Police found Flaherty a short time later hiding inside a nearby bar. Authorities have said both men were intoxicated at the time.
Flaherty was ordered to abstain from alcohol throughout his probation. He must undergo random drug and alcohol tests.
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