Man pleads guilty to May stabbing

VW independent staff

A Van Wert man charged in connection with a mid-May stabbing in the city appeared in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court this week to plead guilty to a fourth degree felony charge.

Robert Burns, 24, Van Wert, entered the guilty to a prosecutor’s bill of information charging him with a single count of aggravated assault, a felony of the fourth degree. In Ohio, a bill of information is a court document filed by a prosecutor to formally accuse someone of a crime. It’s similar to an indictment but without the involvement of a grand jury. He now faces up to 18 months in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

Burns was released on a $5,000 personal surety bond with electronic house arrest. Judge Martin D. Burchfield ordered a pre-sentence investigation and scheduled  sentencing for 9 a.m. July 16.

Burns was arrested during the early morning hours of May 17, after the Van Wert Police Department received a call of a stabbing at a home in the 300 block of S. Wayne St. Upon arrival, officers rendered first aid to the victim until the Van Wert Fire Department was able to transport him to OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital. The victim, who’s name has not been released, was later transported by medical helicopter to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. Four days later, the man was listed in stable condition.

Burns was originally charged with felonious assault, a second degree felony.