A Frederick man was sentenced to 18 months in jail for stabbing a bar patron after the man who was attacked asked the judge to impose a lenient sentence.
Frederick County Circuit Judge Scott Rolle said that he would have given Nicholas Serge Lemieux-Renard, 24, a substantial prison sentence if it weren’t for the wishes of Matthew Hevener, the man seriously wounded in the Sept. 3, 2016, stabbing at Champion Billiards Sports Bar on Buckeystown Pike.
Lemieux-Renard faced up to 25 years in prison.
Rolle warned Lemieux-Renard that the assault could have easily been fatal.
“If that happened, your life would have been over. His life would have been over,” Rolle said, referring to Hevener.
Lemieux-Renard will also need to pay at least $2,025 in restitution to cover Hevener’s medical bills. The final amount of restitution will be agreed upon later.
Hevener was flown to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He underwent three surgeries to treat the stab wound to his abdomen. He spent a month recovering in the hospital, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Kirsten Brown.
He is still unable to lift weights like he used to before the attack, he said.
Lemieux-Renard read from a written statement expressing his regrets over the stabbing.
“Please accept my sincere apologies for my behavior. … I admit that I was wrong and I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he said.
Lemieux-Renard’s attorney, Arya Saleh, said his client was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after seeing a friend die in a bulldozer accident during a training exercise. He was in treatment for the condition and has also stopped drinking since the stabbing, Saleh said.
Lemieux-Renard had no prior criminal record.
Lemieux-Renard had pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in the case on May 23.
He and his wife had ordered food at Champions and she then went to the restroom. Hevener looked at the wife or said something about her, which sparked a fight. Hevener punched Lemieux-Renard, and Lemieux-Renard then stabbed Hevener, police said.
Follow Kelsi Loos on Twitter: @KelsiLoos.
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