Local man sentenced in downtown stabbing

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 19, 2009

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Thu Nov 19, 2009, 09:57 AM EST

PLATTSBURGH — James Farrell II didn’t say anything before he was sentenced to probation for stabbing a college student during a drunken argument earlier this year.

The 24-year-old Plattsburgh man stood quietly in Clinton County Court Wednesday afternoon when he was given three years probation and 100 hours of community service, along with about $165 in court expenses.

Before handing down the sentence, Judge Patrick McGill told Farrell that he “came very close to possibly killing” Plattsburgh State student Shaher Zakaria.

He said the case “very well could have been more serious.”

Farrell had been facing charges since the mid-March stabbing, which left Zakaria hospitalized with a punctured abdomen.

Plattsburgh City Police said Farrell had been arguing with Zakaria, 21, and several other men after the group spoke to Farrell’s girlfriend in a downtown parking lot.

Witnesses said the altercation quickly escalated when Farrell “head butted” one of the men, and people from the other group retaliated.

After unsuccessful bystander intervention, a fight ensued, and that’s when, police said, Farrell pulled out a folding knife and stabbed Zakaria in the abdomen.

Police arrived as Farrell, carrying the knife, was chasing down another man.

In September, Farrell pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree assault in satisfaction of the original felony and misdemeanor charges.

Farrell, who has been free on $25,000 cash bail, has been under probation supervision since his plea.

Zakaria, who has since recovered, did not attend the sentencing.

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:

avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com