WAILUKU - A 42-year-old man who threatened and injured another man with a knife during an argument was sentenced Dec. 6 to five years' probation and was given credit for the 99 days he had already served in jail.
Second Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza followed a plea agreement in sentencing Nena Emil Mike.
Noting Mike's prior military service, Cardoza ordered him to meet with a counselor at a veterans center who could "improve circumstances" for him.
Defense attorney Chris Dunn said his client was not initially the aggressor in the incident in which he defended himself against the 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound assault victim.
"This was a case of self-defense," Dunn said. But he added that Mike did use excessive force.
Deputy Prosecutor Carson Tani said he agreed with Dunn's statements and asked the court to follow the plea agreement.
Mike pleaded no contest to second-degree assault and second-degree terroristic threatening for the May 27 incident that occurred on an empty lot on Kane Street in Kahului.
Police were called at 6:27 p.m. that day after Mike and the victim argued and fought in the lot next to the Family Life Center. Mike brandished a 4-inch-long folding knife and swung it at the victim while threatening to kill him.
The victim was cut on the left side of his chest below his armpit, suffering a cut that was 7 inches long and three-quarters of an inch deep, police said. The man was taken to the hospital, treated and released.
