Clarkston man gets 20 years in prison for stabbing several people at party

ASOTIN - Ryan M. Yarborough was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison Friday after a two-day trial where a jury found him guilty of attacking and stabbing several people at a Clarkston party in May.

Yarborough, 29, of Clarkston, had been drinking with friends May 10 at an apartment at 635 11th St., when he was asked to leave with his dog, who was attacking another resident's dog. Yarborough attacked one of the residents, but then left after exchanging a handshake, according to police reports included in Asotin County Superior Court records.

He later returned with a steak knife and attacked the same resident, who was surrounded by several friends. One of those friends, Robert L. Dittemore, was reportedly stabbed in the chest near the heart, and right thigh, while another man, Lance A. Shingleton, was stabbed in the right knee.

Dittemore, 36, was taken to Tri-State Memorial Hospital, but was released after doctors confirmed no vital organs were damaged, though he did suffer muscle damage and required stitches, according to police reports. Shingleton, 44, admitted himself to the hospital after returning from the Asotin County Jail where he was cited and released for obstruction.

Yarborough was found guilty in Superior Court Thursday on one count of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault, both with deadly weapon enhancements, and one count of fourth-degree assault. He was sentenced to 243 months in prison Friday.

Yarborough's mother, Cheryl K. Yarborough, 47, was arrested Wednesday at the Asotin County Courthouse by sheriff's Detective Jackie Nichols for allegedly attempting to get several witnesses to refrain from testifying, according to Nichols' arrest report.

She is being charged in Superior Court with one count of tampering with a witness.

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