CASPER — A 50-year-old homeless man accused of stabbing a 57-year-old Casper man in a violent confrontation that involved a knife, pipe and a can of bear spray was in Natrona County District Court on Friday.
James Earl Severson pleaded not guilty wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles while standing beside his attorney Marty Scott.
Judge Joshua Eames asked him if he understood the aggravated assault and battery charge against him stemming from an altercation in the 4000 Block of Bel Vista Drive in Bar Nunn on March 6.
Severson told the judge he understood the charge and the judge asked him how he would plead.
“Not guilty,” he said.
Bond was not addressed at Friday’s hearing, as Severson is in jail on a separate felony theft charge.
Driven To The Emergency Room
Court records show Natrona County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Bar Nunn address after Banner Wyoming Medical Center staff called to report a stabbing victim in the emergency room.
The driver who brought the victim in owns the Barn Nun home and identified the person responsible for the stabbing as “James.” He said he did not know his last name.
When deputies arrived at the Bar Nunn address, they found a large pool of blood in the driveway and a blood trail leading into the home, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the case.
Severson was located in a detached garage on the south side of the residence.
Deputies found him in possession of three knives during a pat down that included a small folding knife clipped to his belt loop; a small, fixed-blade knife in a sheath in the middle of his back; and a small, fixed-blade knife in a sheath in his right-front cargo jacket pocket.
“Severson stated he had been bear sprayed, so medical personnel responded to check and clear Severson,” the affidavit states.
The investigation found that Severson and the former girlfriend of the victim had been living in the detached garage and would not leave the property though the owner and a woman who lived with him had asked them to leave several times, the affidavit states.
Car Issue
When the stabbing victim, who had been in jail, learned that his girlfriend was with Severson, he wanted a car of his back that she was using.
He told deputies that while he was in jail, his ex-girlfriend and Severson stole things from his apartment on CY Avenue.
The victim told deputies he had known Severson for about five years and once allowed him to sleep on his couch following Severson’s divorce.
Once out of jail, the victim told deputies he got a ride to the Bar Nunn address Feb. 27 and recovered the car, and he also had a conversation with Severson.
“(The victim) called Severson a ‘loser’ and ‘piece of shit’ and asked what type of person steals from a friend,” the affidavit says. “Severson whipped out a dark-colored folding pocketknife from his pocket but never attempted to assault him.
“(The victim) recovered his car and left the property without further incident.”
On March 6, the victim told deputies he went again to the Bar Nunn residence and was asked to help evict Severson and the woman from the homeowner’s garage.
A text message to Severson and the victim’s ex-girlfriend sent from the victim’s phone threatened that if the pair didn’t move out of the garage, law enforcement would be contacted about the items they stole from him.
The victim told deputies that when he recovered his car a week earlier, there was a can of bear spray in it. He kept it for his own protection. He told deputies he had brought it with him March 6 in case Severson tried to stab him again.
A surveillance video obtained from a neighboring residence recorded the encounter between Severson and the victim following the text message.
It showed Severson with a pipe in hand at the end of the driveway near the street and the victim walking out of the Bar Nunn home with the owner.
The victim and Severson came together and “a cloud of vapor” consistent with bear spray being deployed could be seen, the affidavit says.
That Bear Spray
The video showed the victim used the bear spray twice and Severson swung on the other man before the victim fell to the ground.
The victim kicked at Severson from the ground and tried to regain his feet when Severson made a stabbing motion toward the victim’s upper torso, the affidavit states.
“The victim partially regained his feet, and Severson made another rapid stabbing motion towards (him),” the document says. “As (the victim) fully regained his feet, Severson moved close to (the victim’s) right side and made another stabbing motion toward (the victim’s) right torso.”
The affidavit states the video then showed Severson picking up an item from the driveway, believed to be the bear spray, and walking toward the victim.
“A cloud of vapor came from Severson towards (the victim),” the affidavit states.
Severson was initially arrested March 6 on a warrant from the Casper Police Department for suspected theft. He refused to be interviewed about the stabbing.
Deputies during their investigation uncovered a call made from the victim to his ex-girlfriend while he was in jail in February that contained expletives and stating that the victim “had something” for “James Severson.”
The arrest affidavit states that the sheriff’s investigator obtained a recording of a phone call from Severson made from the Natrona County Detention Center on March 15 to a female.
During the conversation he talked about how the victim pulled a can of bear spray out and sprayed him.
“He come (sic) out there and got all (expletive) lippy and pulled that can of bear mace and I tuned his (expletive) ass up,” the affidavit relates about the phone call. “I split the whole side of his head open, blood pouring out everywhere, and then as soon as that can of bear mace ran out I (expletive) slid that piece of steel into his lung, told him ‘Hey mother (expletive) probably take your ass to the hospital or you can sit down on the ground and die right here.”
The NCSO investigator filed the aggravated assault and battery charge against Severson on April 2 and his plea hearing was Friday. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
