Customer Stabs Nine Mile Road Restaurant Owner

January 6, 2012

A Nine Mile Road restaurant owner was stabbed in the neck Thursday afternoon after confronting a Cantonment man that left without paying for his meal.

Victim Shou Chen, owner of King Buffet, said that 19-year old Connor James Stenson ate a meal and left without paying his $16.95 food and drink bill. Chen followed him to the parking lot and confronted him. That’s when Stenson pulled out a knife, according to an arrest report, and stabbed Chen in the neck, leaving him with a non-life threatening laceration about four inches long.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested Stenson on the scene and charged with aggravated battery and petit theft. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $16,000.

Comments

29 Responses to “Customer Stabs Nine Mile Road Restaurant Owner”

  1. David Huie Green on January 11th, 2012 9:06 pm

    REGARDING:
    “A mental illness is no excuse if the individual is expected to be taking medication and care of him/herself. Obviously (given that he had a mental illness) doctors saw him still fit for society, therefore he must abide by society’s rules.”

    Actually, nothing here establishes him as having any mental illness or being on any medication. Some folks may have simply reasoned it out:

    GIVEN: There are no bad boys.
    GIVEN: He did a bad thing.
    CONCLUSION: If he did a bad thing and there are no bad boys, he must have a mental illness which stops him from distinguishing right from wrong.

    If you accept the first statement as true and consider a 19 year old still a boy or simply that there ARE no bad people, you would reach the conclusion. If you reject the concept that bad boys don’t exist, he doesn’t have to be crazy to do bad things.

    He looks sane and thoughtful — actions notwithstanding, but who am I to judge?

    David suspecting the insanity defense won’t fly
    nor will he soon get any more Chinese food

  2. Realist on January 11th, 2012 3:15 pm

    Regarding the corporal punishment comment, I am unaware of why correlation is so readily deemed causation. Because someone was spanked as a child, does not make them destined for a life of crime. In fact, if you actually researched it, you’d find that children spanked (child abuse aside) actually go on to live much more successful, happy lives. I knew this guy in middle school. From what I remember of him, he was a bit of the rebellious type you could say back then. Maybe, in fact, he should have been spanked more? And as far as the comment on judgement… Many times judgement cannot be properly assessed from a simple reporting. However, when someone leaves a store without paying, then stabs someone in the neck for confronting them, there is no judgement necessary. He was wrong, entirely. A mental illness is no excuse if the individual is expected to be taking medication and care of him/herself. Obviously (given that he had a mental illness) doctors saw him still fit for society, therefore he must abide by society’s rules. Ignorance of law does not exempt one from punishment if the law is broken.

  3. Rob D Blind on January 8th, 2012 11:05 pm

    So that was one short “time out” he got. What we have here is a failure to communicate. If the owner would have had a high voltage tazer, then the theif would have got a lesson. Painful lessons will be remembered. Actions that cause pain are rarely repeated. I vote for the using the cane like Singapore. I have not heard the American kid painted anymore cars. That that does not kill us makes us stronger and smarter. Even if he gets a 3 year time out, so what ! How much $$ does that cost us? Some one suggested mental illness and not taking meds., well one good cane session and I bet he would not forget to take his meds again. Some want you to think mental illness so they can just do stupid things.
    He could have killed the owner with a knife to the neck.

  4. David Huie Green on January 7th, 2012 6:25 pm

    REGARDING:
    “None of us were there and should not be so quick to judge. He could have a mental illness and not be on his meds or something.”

    True. Or maybe the man needed stabbing for complaining at him.

    He should be released immediately and his knife returned.

    David for ignoring bloody evidence

  5. jasmine on January 7th, 2012 5:59 pm

    @ shameonyou :

    If he were to have a mental illness I would think that he would have had SOME form of supervision . And I’m sure it would be different had we been there , but some of these people aren’t exactly judging . They are using the information they have learned to make inferences on the situtation . As for the rest that are outraged by the conviction : I agree . Seriously ? Now everybody has a reason to get a concealed weapon license . If the cops aren’t going to protect us , then we are going to have to protect ourselves . What is wrong with this picture ?! A lot of things …

  6. Big D on January 7th, 2012 5:10 pm

    Sounds more like a thief than a customer….

  7. shameonyou on January 7th, 2012 4:52 pm

    I cannot believe all of these comments on here. Have none of you had a situation where from the outside it looked sooo much different than had you been there? None of us were there and should not be so quick to judge. He could have a mental illness and not be on his meds or something.

  8. David Huie Green on January 7th, 2012 1:24 pm

    REGARDING:
    “Saw a prison documentary recently; they did a survey of prisoners at numerous prisons and discovered that over 90% of the prisoners had been disciplined using corporal punishment (spanked, hit, whooped, beat, etc) as children.”

    That’s always been an interesting concept, but it raises a few questions.

    How many people who have never gone to prison have been spanked or even beaten as children?
    If it’s the same percent, does it mean anything?
    What does it mean when we are told ten percent of criminals were never punished as children?
    Do we really believe it?

    It’s like when Sigmund Freud found out that his patients had problems as youth and decided that was the cause. Years later a study discovered pretty much everybody had some problems as youth. It may even be part of growing up.

    Were they punished more than others?
    If so, was it because their parents were more hateful people or because they refused to change their ways?
    Was the punishment worse or particularly different from that received by children who didn’t turn to lives of crime later?

    I’m reminded of people saying all our problems are caused by our high incarceration rate, rather than our high incarceration rate is caused by excessive criminal activity.

    David wishing criminals weren’t

  9. David Huie Green on January 7th, 2012 1:13 pm

    REGARDING:
    “Seems to me the bail should have been $16,950.00. More poetic.”

    We agree-you and I on this point, although perhaps $169500 would be good too.

    I believe in the 8th amendment, but some actions are really irritating.

    David for better people

  10. David Huie Green on January 7th, 2012 1:09 pm

    I see where he pled nolo two months ago PETIT FROM MERCHANT 2ND CONVICTION.

    Wild speculation makes me wonder if someone had taught him businessmen were thieves and it was okay to steal back from them Or maybe he just enjoys it, this being — at a minimum — his third theft.

    Good thing he didn’t kill the poor fellow working and trying to care for his family while running a business employing many people and serving hundreds.

    David disliking thieves and murderers

  11. Sandra on January 7th, 2012 11:07 am

    That owner could have done us all a favor if he had a concealed carry license. As quick as the leech pulled out his knife the owner could have double tapped him…..problem solved.

  12. Char on January 7th, 2012 9:50 am

    I’m with outraged and many others.
    He would have killed this guy for his $16.00 meal. He should have been
    charged with attempted MURDER, and I for one would like to know WHY
    he was NOT.

  13. Mindset on January 7th, 2012 9:49 am

    @briarroot,

    Saw a prison documentry recently; they did a survey of prisoners at numerous prisons and discovered that over 90% of the prisoners had been discplined using corporal punishment (spanked, hit, whooped, beat, etc) as children.

  14. Law man on January 7th, 2012 8:37 am

    Fred you need to research those Florida statutes before you comment. Then you may just answer you own stupid question.

  15. Outraged on January 7th, 2012 8:11 am

    This is rediculous!! He was released on bond. Thanks judge!! Next time it could be you,me,or one of our family memebers. I got news for y’all the next person he tries to do this to may be a concealed weapon permit holder and you might not get to set this mans bond!! Think about next time you take your family out to eat that you let this man out. Let’s thank god that we have the second amdt. Because you definatly are not gonna help keep us safe!!!

  16. hawghead on January 7th, 2012 7:52 am

    You go now,,,,, You been here four hour……..you pay first…….then go……

  17. briarroot on January 7th, 2012 7:22 am

    I bet his parents weren’t allowed to spank him when he was young. Poor discipline of children breeds criminal behavior.

  18. baebae on January 7th, 2012 6:33 am

    Confusios say…Man who not pay for salad bars….will be eating salad from behind bars….

  19. baebae on January 7th, 2012 6:29 am

    If he were that poor and cant afford a meal…SELL THE KNIFE….then buy food

  20. huh on January 6th, 2012 10:15 pm

    How did this guy get out on a $16,000 bond when he tried to kill someone?? Why are violent people being let go so easily? While non violent drug offenders have higher bonds and remain in jail?

  21. Sylvia on January 6th, 2012 7:25 pm

    I agree with you Fred. You don’t go around stabbing people unless you mean to hurt them or even kill them. He should have asked for the food if he didn’t have any money.

  22. Carolyn on January 6th, 2012 5:34 pm

    It is very bad for everyone with people being jobless.But you don’t just go around stealing food.Had I been there I would have gladly paid for this poor souls food.
    I pray for the owner that got hurt and also for this man. Whatever his need may be in the future I pray he will not do this again.

  23. lhlady on January 6th, 2012 5:32 pm

    Joking aside, stabbing someone is a malicious, cold blooded act and should be taken seriously. The business owner shouldn’t be expected to allow stealing from his business. This Stenson was probably a playground bully in grade school and is used to pushing people around. He needs to spend time locked up with men bigger and badder than him and see how he likes it.

  24. Fred on January 6th, 2012 5:29 pm

    ” charged with aggravated battery and petit theft” Why not attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon? This trash needs to be taken to the dump!

  25. mike on January 6th, 2012 5:02 pm

    Now he gets to enjoy the fine selection of foods offered at Escambia County Jail,

  26. Phillip on January 6th, 2012 4:57 pm

    Maybe his fortune cookie told him to do it.

  27. Use U Lee Wong on January 6th, 2012 3:04 pm

    …only problem with rob Chinese Restaurant…and hour later you hungry again…

  28. Safebear on January 6th, 2012 1:30 pm

    From the looks of this guy the restaurant owner is lucky in two ways – (1) the guy looks like he could beat up anybody and (2) he only ate $16.95 worth of food – but at a buffet that is still a lot of food.

  29. Thinker on January 6th, 2012 1:21 pm

    Seems to me the bail should have been $16,950.00. More poetic.