Man receives probation for 2021 stabbing in Eau Claire

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - An Eau Claire man who was convicted of a 2021 stabbing in the city was sentenced to probation Thursday.

35-year-old James Sande, who was 32 at the time of the stabbing, was sentenced on Thursday to three years of probation on one count of 2nd-degree recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon, according to online court records.

The conviction was a downgraded charge from 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety. A charge of substantial battery with the intent to cause great bodily harm was dismissed but read in, according to online court records. Sande was also ordered to pay $44,582.90 in restitution.

Sande will serve three years of probation and will not be allowed to have any weapons, consume drugs or alcohol, visit places that primarily serve alcohol, or have any contact with other people involved in the incident. A 12-month jail sentence was stayed as part of the sentencing, meaning Sande won’t have to report to jail unless he violates the conditions of his probation.

The stabbing happened on Jan. 1, 2021, according to court documents. Eau Claire Police officers responded to the Mega Holiday gas station on Birch Street where they spoke with Sande, who had blood on his sweater, face and hands. Officers said he appeared to be highly intoxicated. He told officers he had a knife. When asked if he struck anyone with the knife, he responded saying he was unsure and that he ran to the gas station because people were threatening to kill him. A witness said he thought a fight had broken out at the Brickhouse Bar where Sande had been earlier in the night and that Sande stabbed someone.