School board plans special meeting

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A plea agreement was reached with a McCook man earlier this month who was charged in connection with beating his girlfriend unconscious and stabbing her with a knife. The woman escaped the ordeal after fleeing out a back door of their home when the offender, 38-year-old Christian R. Schaffert, got up to answer the front door.

According to court documents, Schaffert was at TJ's Family Fun Center in McCook when he became upset with his girlfriend just prior to 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2013. Shortly after the couple left he punched her repeatedly in the face until she lost consciousness. The woman remembered attempting to block Schaffert from stabbing her with a knife during the assault, which resulted in her being stabbed in the leg near the knee, according to her statement to investigators.

The victim said she lost consciousness and when she awoke they were parked near the grain bins at Perry Grain, on the north side of U.S. Highway 6 and 34.

The victim subsequently talked Schaffert into taking her to their home but after their arrival he drug her out of the car by her hair and followed her into the house. Shortly afterwards he began researching "10 ways to kill someone" on his laptop computer and she told investigators she was confident he was going to kill her.

A knock at the door from a friend of the couple distracted Schaffert long enough for his victim to escape out a back door. She got into the vehicle the man at the door had arrived in and instructed a second person in the vehicle to get the third, fearing what Schaffert might do. Shortly afterwards the three safely made their way to the police department to report the incident and Schaffert was arrested on domestic assault charges.

According to a medical report the woman suffered a fractured eye socket and fractured chin bone.

Schaffert was originally charged with four felony offenses, including a Class IIIA felony offense of second degree domestic assault; a Class II felony offense for use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony; a Class IV felony offense for possession of methamphetamine; a Class IV felony for possession of a destructive device; and an infraction for possession of drug paraphernalia.

He accepted a plea agreement admitting guilt to the Class IIIA domestic assault charge and the Class IV felony for possession of methamphetamine, while dismissing the other offenses. The plea also agreed Schaffert would admit guilt to a new charge of stalking stemming from his arrest on Jan. 7, 2014.

Court documents offered no details pertaining to Schaffert's January arrest or the possession of a destructive device charge.

Schaffert is scheduled for sentencing at 10:30 a.m. on March 3, 2014, in Red Willow County District Court.