Man gets probation for stabbing friend in neck

BELLEVILLE — A judge in southwestern Illinois has sentenced a 37-year-old man to 30 months of probation for stabbing a friend in the neck during a night of drinking.

Prosecutors had charged Christopher Carroll with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for stabbing George Brooks on Feb. 11 inside their home near Belleville.

Authorities say Carroll is mentally ill. And St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly says prosecutors offered him a plea deal, partly because they didn't have a cooperative witness.

The Belleville News-Democrat (http://bit.ly/nY3q4A ) reports that Carroll's attorney says the victim signed a waiver saying he didn't want to press charges.

Brooks describes Carroll as a close friend and has said he didn't think Carroll stabbed him deliberately.