Witness: Teen had a knife in his hand night of stabbing

COLUMBUS -- A witness to a March 8 stabbing said a Columbus teen had a knife in his hand when he left his home that evening to confront a former friend in a dispute over a tire-slashing incident that had occurred a couple of days earlier.

Columbus Police Investigator Greg Sealock testified a witness said 18-year-old Anthony Jeffries “had a knife in his right hand from the moment he came out of his residence” in the minutes before Zachary Garnett, 18, was stabbed in the abdomen.

Witnesses said Jeffries was upset that night about the accusation he was responsible for the tire-slashing incident, Sealock testified during Jeffries’ preliminary hearing in Platte County Court on charges of first-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Jeffries was told by witnesses “not to do anything he was going to regret” before going outside of his mobile home to confront Garnett that night, Sealock said.

Judge Frank Skorupa bound over Jeffries to district court on the charges following Thursday’s 30-minute hearing. The defendant is set to be arraigned on the charges in district court at 10 a.m. April 11.

Garnett suffered a stab wound measuring 2-3 centimeters in length and 3 1/2 centimeters in width to the left side of his midsection outside a mobile home at Elm’s Trailer Court.

Garnett underwent surgery for his wound the night of the incident at Columbus Community Hospital.

During Thursday’s hearing, Sealock testified that shortly after Jeffries left his residence to confront Garnett and several of his friends a verbal altercation quickly turned physical.

The investigator said a scuffle resulted in Jeffries being knocked to the ground, and as the defendant was getting up he stabbed Garnett in the stomach.

Garnett said he had gone to the Jeffries residence to “talk” about the tire-slashing allegation, Sealock said. Jeffries had lived with Garnett and his family in the latter months of 2007.

Platte County Public Defender Sam Bethune cast that night’s fight in a different light while cross-examining the investigator.

Sealock said Jeffries’ version of the events that night was that Garnett threw the first punch during the altercation. And when he was knocked to the ground, Jeffries said he feared Garnett and his friends were advancing at him, the investigator said.

“That was his perception of the confrontation,’’ Sealock said.

During an interview the night of the stabbing, Sealock said Jeffries initially said he found the knife in the yard and only picked it up after the fight was under way. Jeffries also maintained he didn’t stab Garnett, but that the victim fell on the knife.

Jeffries eventually admitted he had the knife on him during the entire incident, said Sealock, who was the lone witness to testify during Thursday’s preliminary hearing.

First-degree assault and use of a weapon to commit a felony are both Class III felonies, punishable by a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, $25,000 fine or both and a minimum of one year imprisonment.