A Vancouver man was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six years in prison for sneaking up behind an employee at a towing business as she worked at her desk and stabbing her in the neck.
Hunter Alexander Levi, 22, pleaded guilty in April in Clark County Superior Court to attempted first-degree assault with a deadly weapon. He was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Toby Krauel said the victim wanted Levi to be sentenced to a shorter term or mental health treatment court. Krauel said the woman did not spend significant time in the hospital, and she does not have any long-term injuries from the attack.
“Miss Robertson is very sympathetic toward the defendant and some mental health issues that he’s had,” Krauel said. “I do want to express her opinion that she wasn’t thinking the lengthy prison (sentence) that the state is — that she was open to a lesser sentence and even a possible exceptional sentence down with mental health alternatives.”
Levi’s defense attorney, Therese Lavallee, said he has a long history of mental illness, dating back to childhood. She said he had been institutionalized before and spent time in 15 different foster homes growing up. He had recently been homeless, she said.
Judge Robert Lewis ordered Levi be sentenced to the low end of his sentencing range, 69.75 months, and ordered he undergo substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Vancouver police officers were dispatched shortly after 2 p.m. June 11, 2021, to Retriever Towing, 6601 E. 18th St., for a report of an assault that had just occurred. An employee, Lori Robertson, said an unknown man, later identified by police as Levi, assaulted her from behind and then ran away, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Robertson said the assailant entered the business through an open, back garage door. He had removed his shoes so she would not hear him approach; she said he picked up his shoes as he fled, the affidavit states.
Police said Robertson suffered a 1- to 2-inch puncture mark at the base of her neck, just above her collarbone, court records say. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
A witness, Jodi Yukich, said she heard Robertson calling for help and saw a man running away. She provided a description of him and said she recognized him as being homeless in the area, according to the affidavit.
Video surveillance at the business captured the assailant entering through the open garage door and moving stealthily inside in his socks. A knife is seen in his hand, court records state.
The video shows Levi standing behind Robertson for five seconds before raising the knife, the affidavit says.
