A man was jailed for nine years on Thursday after pleading guilty to two stabbings and, in a separate incident, possession of $120,000 worth of cocaine.
Christopher Scaglione, 22, of Red Deer was sentenced to five and a half years in jail for the stabbings and three and a half years for the drugs. He pleaded guilty to the stabbings in one provincial court and an hour later to the drug charges in a different provincial court.
Court heard that in the early hours of Feb. 12, Scaglione was at a north Red Deer night club after being released just five hours earlier by RCMP following another stabbing.
The night club incident was much more serious as Scaglione ambushed a man who went outside the club for a smoke.
The victim was stabbed in the neck and, after falling down, was stabbed eight more times by Scaglione in the back, chest and arms.
The victim managed to stagger into a nearby liquor store with blood gushing from his neck, Crown prosecutor Robin Fiander told court.
He was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. His hospitalization also cost him his job, Judge Thomas Schollie heard.
Scaglione turned himself into police a day later after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Scaglione pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a weapon.
Court heard he also stabbed another man during a brawl at a house party where he and a group of friends were uninvited guests.
Scaglione grabbed a steak knife when one of his friends got into a fist fight.
Another man grabbed Scaglione and when they fell, the victim suffered a badly cut hand.
Scaglione received credit for the nine months he has been in jail and will serve another seven and a half years. Courts give two-for-one credit for time served in pre-trial custody.
The second court, with Judge David Plosz presiding, heard that Scaglione was busted in 2008 just outside Calgary with 1.1 kg of cocaine in a vehicle. The drug was worth an estimated $120,000.
Scaglione must also surrender a sample of his DNA and is prohibited from owning or possessing weapons and explosives for 10 years.
Defence lawyer Paul Moreau of Edmonton told court that Scaglione fell in with bad company in Red Deer after leaving the Canadian Forces after a year because of poor eyesight.
Moreau said his client was adrift in Alberta since all his relatives were from Ontario.
“He made bad friends and poor decisions,” Moreau said.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com