St. Clair Shores Teen Who Stabbed Friend Receives Probation

A St. Clair Shores teenager who pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm for the stabbing of his best friend was placed on three year probation Wednesday by Macomb Circuit Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski.

A grateful Shane Spatafore shook his lawyer's hand and looked to the ceiling after he received the sentence, which allows him to complete his high school degree and pursue a college education.

The charges stemmed from the Sept. 3 incident where Spatafore got into an argument and stabbed his 17-year-old friend four times with a steak knife. He then fled the scene, damaging patio furniture at a neighbor's house on 13 Mile Road, before he was located and arrested.

Before sentencing, the victim addressed the court and spoke in support of his long-time friend.

"I have known Shane for a long time. He is a real good friend of mine," said the victim, who along with his father had urged the prosecutor's office for the sentence. "He is a good person who doesn't belong in jail."

During testimony Wednesday, it was revealed that incident after Spatafore took some drugs which caused him to "black out" and not recall many of the events of the evening.

"At the beginning of this case it was believe there was no drugs involved. It was a stabbing case," said defense attorney David Pietroski, who credited the testimony of the victim for Spatafore receiving probation. "Nobody knows how the confrontation happened. He doesn't remember taking this stuff voluntarily, but he was certain he was high."

As a component of the sentence, Chrzanowski sentenced under Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. If he successfully completes probation, he could have the conviction removed from his record.

Chrzanowski warned Spatafore not to use drugs or alcohol while on probation, and avoid these temptations in college.

He acknowledged the challenges and used his time in jail following the incident as a wake-up call.

"When I went to jail, I knew I had to get my life back on track," he said, and added that he may want to become a psychiatrist to help others.

Spatafore, who also has to repay $400 for the damaged patio furniture, did not have any monitoring or payment violations while he has been on bond. He also dual-enrolled in Lake Shore High School and Macomb Community College.