A Jewett City man who pleaded guilty to stabbing a man in the face, arm and torso in September 2018 received a fully suspended prison sentence Wednesday in New London Superior Court.

Julio "Spyda" Santos, 28, formerly of Wedgewood Drive, successfully completed an 80-day inpatient drug treatment program and was released to a Meriden sober house in May, according to his court file.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, and on Wednesday, Judge Hillary B. Strackbein sentenced him to five years in prison, fully suspended, followed by three years of probation.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, first responders were called to the scene of a stabbing at 21 Mechanic St., Jewett City, at 8:06 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2018. The victim was a 29-year-old man, identified by state police only as "Chocolate," in an arrest warrant affidavit. He was treated at The William W. Backus Hospital for a facial laceration approximately 2 inches long, and a laceration to the forearm, also about 2 inches long. He had a half-inch wound to his lower torso that did not require medical attention.

A woman who lived at the apartment told state police the victim stayed overnight and was attacked by Santos, whom she described as "an avid drug user," when he came to the door that morning. She said Santos walked in with his girlfriend and immediately got into a fight with the victim and hit him in the face before fleeing.

The victim told police he never saw a knife and that the assailant may have been looking for somebody else. The female witness viewed a police photo array of suspects and identified Santos as the man who had come to her apartment and assaulted the victim.

Santos told police after his arrest that he had a problem with "Choco," and that he may have cut him a bit with a small pocketknife. When asked why he had a problem with the victim, Santos said, "because I owe him money and told him I wasn't going to pay him."

Santos has previous convictions for assault, threatening, criminal mischief, patronizing a prostitute, failure to appear in court and violation of probation, according to Judicial Branch records.

His court file indicated he has been living at the Stepping Stone sober house in Meriden, attending 12-step meetings and house meetings and seeking employment, and has consistently tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

k.florin@theday.com