Booking photo of George K. Ketterman

Leonardtown, MD – A Montgomery County man has been sentenced in connection with an incident in which another man was stabbed at a Mechanicsville bar. George Ketterman, 33, of Rockville entered an Alford plea Jan. 20 to reckless endangerment during a motions hearing before Judge Karen Abrams. An Alford plea means the defendant doesn’t admit guilt but concedes the state had enough evidence to get a conviction.

Ketterman was given a five-year suspended sentence by Judge Abrams as the result of the plea bargain entered into by the state and defense. Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Stanalonis said there were no independent witnesses to the stabbing incident Dec. 5, 2014 outside the Big Dog’s Paradise Bar on Three Notch Road. The victim was flown to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after the incident.

Stanalonis told Judge Abrams that there were witnesses to an argument between Ketterman and the victim inside the bar prior to the incident in which there was apparently a large crowd gathered outside. Stanalonis said that during the melee Ketterman had an altercation with someone else, not the defendant, and fled the scene. He was ultimately arrested in Montgomery County and returned to St. Mary’s.

The prosecutor also told Judge Abrams that he had talked to the victim who agreed with the disposition, which included Ketterman entering substance abuse treatment and being on five years of supervised probation after finishing the treatment. He also was ordered to make partial restitution of $3,000 for medical treatment.

Stanalonis said that the victim had identified another possible perpetrator. But the prosecutor told The BayNet that the victim had not yet filed charges against that person as he had recommended.

Ketterman was represented at the hearing by Bowie attorney Elizabeth Cawood. According to the plea agreement Cawood can file a motion for a probation before judgement for her client after he completes the substance abuse treatment.

Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com