July 19, 2001
Section: B SECTION
Page: BV1

Paul Sickler was expected to accept a 12-year prison term Wednesday in connection with charges that he attacked three men with a knife in January.

But a few days ago, the North Port man changed his mind. His attorney, Henry Lee, announced the decision in a Sarasota courtroom on Wednesday afternoon. So later this year, Sickler will take his chances at a trial, where he could receive a sentence of up to 45 years or be declared not guilty.

Sickler, 41, is accused of stabbing the men outside a Warm Mineral Springs bar, according to a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office report.

The men stepped forward after Sickler threw his girlfriend out the door of  the North Port Saloon. They were trying to protect her when Sickler attackedthem, the report said.

Sickler was charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts ofaggravated battery. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

The injured men, all from North Port, were Jimmy Ray Thomas, 46, his son,Michael Thomas, 22, and another man, Brendan Wieman, 22.

Lee said he got word earlier in the week that Sickler no longer wanted adeal. Sickler's trial was scheduled to start next week, but the earlier plea decision had caused both Lee and prosecutors to stop preparing for a trial.

Now both sides will again have to subpoena their witnesses and prepare other evidence for a trial, tentatively set for September.

Sickler presented an imposing figure in court Wednesday. He is thickly muscled and sports tattoos around both biceps.

He did not speak while attorneys were discussing the rescheduling of his case.

Sickler has a criminal record. He was charged with grand theft and four counts of forgery in 1984. He agreed to a plea bargain in June 1984 andreceived two years' probation. During the next nine years, he wasperiodically sent back to prison for probation violations.


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