Late last year, actor Dustin Diamond, better known as Screech from the long-running Saved By The Bell, was arrested following an incident in which he stabbed a man in a Wisconsin bar fight.
This week, a jury has found Diamond guilty of two of the three charges made against him, reaching their decision a matter of hours after Diamond testified that he never “intended to stab anyone.”
Diamond was convicted of the misdemeanour charges of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct, but managed to dodge the more serious charge of recklessly endangering public safety.
Per reports in The Guardian, Diamond said that his main aim was to protect his girlfriend:
Diamond … said some people had wanted to shake his hand and pose for photos at the bar, but others were badgering him and his girlfriend, Amanda Schutz. He said he was trying to scare bar patrons in Port Washington after his girlfriend was punched in the face.“I felt like we were being set up for antagonistic purposes,” he said.
Diamond described seeing his girlfriend in a state of distress, and being “grabbed” by a man as he moved towards her. He stabbed the man with what he claimed was a pen used to sign a credit card receipt, but later conceded was a knife.
The actor could potentially face nine months in prison for the concealed weapon charge, and a further 90 days for disorderly conduct.
Photo: Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images
