Warren man sentenced to 8 years in prison for stabbing man in back

Staff report

WARREN

Richard G. Spencer II, 49, is going to prison for eight years after being convicted of felonious assault at trial Monday.

Spencer, of West Market Street, learned his sentence Tuesday from Judge Ronald Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Spencer served as his own lawyer in the case, which lasted one day. During the trial, Judge Rice found Spencer in contempt of court for disruptive behavior.

The judge ordered deputies to place a shock belt on Spencer and warned him he would be shocked if he continued the behavior.

The charge stemmed from information from a man living in the 1200 block Main Avenue Southwest who said he found Spencer and another man in his basement smoking crack Dec. 1, 2016.

One of the men left, but he had to shove Spencer out of the house and off the porch. That’s when Spencer stabbed the victim in the back with a knife, police said.