Saved By The Bell actor Dustin Diamond found GUILTY of stabbing a man in bar brawl
ACTOR Dustin Diamond has been found guilty of two charges following a barroom brawl on Christmas Day last year.
A jury found Dustin not guilty of a felony
Dustin, who is best known for playing Screech in hit TV show Saved By The Bell, was found not guilty of the most serious charge – recklessly endangering public safety, but guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and of disorderly conduct, according to reports.
The first misdemeanour carries a maximum sentence of nine months in prison, while the second carries a maximum of 90 days in jail.
A date for the sentencing has not yet been announced.
On the night in question, the actor explained that some people at The Grand Avenue Saloon bar in Port Washington, Wisconsin had wanted to shake his hand and pose for photographs with him.
Saved By The Bell actor in court on Friday
Dustin was involved in a barroom brawl on Christmas Day
However, others were annoying him and girlfriend Amanda Schutz, the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant explained.
He also insisted that he was simply trying to scare drinkers at the bar after his girlfriend was punched in the face, but things soon got out of hand.
"I felt like we were being set up for antagonistic purposes," Diamond told the court.
The 38-year-old said that he never intended to stab anybody.
“I figured it would take the fight out of the people,” he continued.
Actor was in Celebrity Big Brother in 2013
"I was fearing for her safety and her life," Diamond said. "I think [the victim] injured himself when he grabbed me."
Casey Smet, the man who got stabbed in the brawl, testified earlier in the week.
He explained that he never saw the knife and could not confirm that the actor had stabbed him.
He also said that he didn't realise that he'd even been stabbed until afterwards when he was talking to police.
"Before the altercation, I was not bleeding or stabbed," he told the jury. "After the altercation, I was."