BOULDER, Colo — Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include information on sentencing in this case and to remove the suspect’s name due to the lesser charges accepted in the plea agreement.
A man who was accused of stabbing a bookstore manager in Boulder earlier this year has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to felony menacing.
> The video above aired Jan. 6: Barnes & Noble manager stabbed after confronting man about gummy bear theft
The manager was stabbed in the abdomen after confronting a man who was suspected of stealing a package of gummy bears, an arrest affidavit said. It started at the Barnes & Noble store at 30th and Pearl streets just after 3 p.m. on Jan. 5.
The victim, a 52-year-old man, suffered a wound that was about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in length. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and later released.
The suspect, a 42-year-old man, was arrested soon after the altercation. He pleaded guilty April 28 to one count of felony menacing. A second-degree assault charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
According to an arrest affidavit in January, the victim told police that another employee told him that the suspect stole a bag of gummy bears and left out the front door. The victim and the other employee walked outside and the employee pointed out the suspect, the affidavit said.
The victim said he caught up with the suspect near another business and confronted him and told him not to return to the store, according to the affidavit.
At that point, the victim told police the suspect began acting aggressively and got in his face, the affidavit says. He admitted that he pushed the suspect away from him and after that the suspect "quickly" approached him and stabbed him. He said that the suspect tried to stab him a second time but the knife got caught in his belt buckle.
The suspect was located a few minutes later near a car dealership. A witness positively identified him as the person who stabbed the clerk, the affidavit said.
He was taken into custody for the assault and for an outstanding warrant for failure to appear related to a prior domestic violence case.
"We appreciate the thorough investigation by the Boulder Police Department and our prosecution team," Shannon Carbone, a spokesperson for the Boulder District Attorney's Office, said in an email May 1. "This situation could have been much worse. What started as an attempt to shoplift merchandise ended in a physical altercation several blocks away. Although the victim did not cooperate with the prosecution of this case, an independent eyewitness observed who initiated the physical contact between the victim and defendant."
The man was sentenced to two years probation, with 114 days credit for time served.
"In securing this guilty plea, our office carefully considered all the evidence," Carbone wrote. "Regardless of who started the physical altercation, the defendant was not justified in using a knife. Thankfully, the doctors quickly determined that the victim did not suffer serious bodily injury – as it is defined under the law."
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS