Former Prosecutor Jailed for Road Rage Stabbing

0:00A former federal prosecutor named Patrick Scruggs just landed 90 days in jail for stabbing another driver on Tampa's Howard Franklin Bridge back in September 2023. The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery after the victim, Blake Sharp, stepped into. Help negotiate a plea deal that dropped a heavier armed burglary charge and saved him from a possible life sentence. The crash kicked off when Sharp suffered a medical episode in blacked out, slamming into Scruggs' car and a couple others. Scruggs bust his Sharp's window with a pocket knife, then stabbed him roughly seven times in the arm during a struggle. He claimed self-defense, but a judge tossed that argument last year based on video evidence from the scene. Sharp had his own rough past on probation for passing out drunk in his car once, but he cleaned up his act by then and wasn't under the influence. That day. While he spoke out in court about Scruggs trying to twist the facts against his background, yet asked the judge for leniency anyway.

1:02Scruggs owned up with a direct apology, wishing Sharp well on his turnaround. Beyond the jail stand, Scruggs now faces five years of probation, $100,000 in restitution to Sharp and anger management course, A, mental health evaluation, and a strict no-contact order with the victim. The judge laid his straight to Scruggs, saying he forgot he ain't no firefighter or special forces that day, and hoped he'd channel his law career into. Doing some real good moving forward. Sharp stayed back praying as Scruggs got hauled off, sounds like a step toward closure in this wild road rage twist. From your city, powered by AI, this is Tampa Bay News Today.