Man will plead guilty in stabbing case

A plea agreement has been reached in the case of a Mitchell man accused of stabbing another man in the arm May 31 during an altercation at a local residence.

During court Tuesday at the Davison County Public Safety Center, Jacob Stulken, 22, and his attorney Donna Bucher, of Mitchell, told Judge Tim Bjorkman that Stulken has agreed to plead guilty to aggravated assault and, in exchange, prosecutors have agreed to dismiss other charges. They will also recommend he be given credit for the eight months he has spent in jail and receive a suspended three-year prison sentence.

Stulken was shot with a Taser gun during a July 20 escape attempt at the Davison County Jail. In the attempted escape, Stulken kicked out a window frame, dislodging a clear Lexan panel in one of the jail’s segregation cells, and gained access to a jail hallway.

Stulken threatened jailers attempting to lead him back to his cell with a piece of the broken window frame, but was apprehended and eventually placed in a restraint chair for several hours. The chair allows jailers to strap down uncooperative prisoners in a sitting position for a few hours so they are not able to hurt themselves or others.

Stulken has not yet entered a guilty plea on the aggravated assault charge, but is scheduled to appear in court next month.

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