In brief: Man acquitted in stabbing

A jury on Friday acquitted a Spokane man of an assault charge connected to a stabbing outside a downtown nightclub last fall.

John D. Proctor, 25, was found not guilty of first-degree assault and not guilty of a lesser included offense, riot.

Proctor said he was present the night two men were stabbed outside Club Uno, 515 W. Sprague Ave., but that he didn’t stab anyone.

Jurors deliberated less than half a day before finding Proctor innocent.

The Oct. 28 stabbing injured Kenneth R. Budik and Charles L. Lucious.

A 33-year-old man accused of unlawfully taking his sons after their mother was awarded custody by a Spokane judge has been charged with three counts of first-degree custodial interference.

Chad Phillips appeared before Justice of the Peace Debra Williams in Butte on Thursday and was ordered jailed on $50,000 while awaiting extradition to Washington. He did not enter a plea.

Phillips called Butte police from a motel Thursday morning after seeing an AMBER Alert for his sons broadcast on television. Butte-Silver Bow County Sheriff John Walsh said the boys – ages 10, 8 and 6 – were in good health and turned over to family services.

Phillips was accused of taking the children following a court appearance Wednesday in Spokane after he lost custody of the boys.