LANSING (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court says a man convicted of carrying a concealed weapon should have been able to argue self-defense to justify his use of a utility knife.
Court records say Jason Triplett threatened to use his utility knife against two men who had stopped their vehicle when they saw Triplett and his wife fighting on the side of the road in 2012.
An Allegan County judge instructed the jury that although self-defense applied to felonious assault, it was not a defense to the carrying a concealed weapon charge. The jury acquitted Triplett of felonious assault, but convicted him of domestic violence and carrying a concealed weapon.
The Holland Sentinel reports the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict, but the high court this week overturned the weapons conviction.
