PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Angeles man will serve 18 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in the 2013 stabbing of a Seattle man in a Discovery Bay condo.
Donovan P. Smart, 22, was sentenced Oct. 10 to 18 months in prison and 18 months of community custody for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon by Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Keith Harper.
Smart was initially charged with second-degree attempted murder in the Oct. 4, 2013, stabbing of Paul Arcudi, 46, of Seattle, and scheduled trials were delayed twice.
His first trial was scheduled for May and rescheduled for Oct. 6.
The trial was canceled when Smart agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced charge, and a hearing for the guilty plea was held Oct. 10.
In Smart’s statement, he said he is not confessing to guilt in the charges but was following his defense attorney’s advice.
Police account
According to police reports, Smart, then 21, stabbed Arcudi once in the chest and several times in the upper back at the WorldMark Discovery Bay Resort, where Arcudi was staying in a condominium with two of his employees, Timothy Vincent, 27, and Stephen Sibson, 23, both of Seattle.
The trio spent the evening of Oct. 3 at R Bar in Port Angeles, where they met Smart.
At 2 a.m., the four left the bar and went to the condo.
During the ride, Smart made several remarks, including references to guns and rape, that concerned the others, Vincent and Sibson told police.
While Arcudi’s companions watched a movie upstairs, he and Smart remained downstairs in the living area.
About 15 minutes later, Vincent and Sibson said they heard thumping sounds and opened the door to find Arcudi “bleeding profusely from multiple wounds” and Smart standing close behind him.
Smart used an 8-inch serrated kitchen knife, which reports said had come from the condo kitchen.
Pepper spray used
Smart was pepper-sprayed by Arcudi’s friends, who called 9-1-1 and applied first aid to the injured man.
Officers arrived at about 3:28 a.m. and took Smart into custody.
Arcudi remained in critical condition for nearly a week at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton.
A restitution hearing for about $50,000 in bills for Arcudi’s medical care has been set for March.
Jefferson County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Ashcraft recommended 21 months of incarceration, according to court documents.
Smart will receive credit for time served in the Jefferson County jail.
Smart was also ordered by the court to have no contact with Arcudi.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
