A Lincoln County man accused of assaulting another man with abox cutter and leaving him in the December snow pleaded guilty toaggravated assault in Lincoln County Circuit Court Thursday.

Assistant District Attorney Diane Jones said Desmond D.Weatherspoon, 32, was sentenced as a habitual offender to 20 yearsin prison for aggravated assault. A habitual offender must servethe maximum sentence day for day under state law.

“He attacked a man with a box cutter, and cut both of his wristsseverely and also cut his knee fairly severely,” Jones said. “Hehas to serve every day of this sentence. It’s 20 years, no earlyrelease, probation or parole.”

On Dec. 11, 2008, Weatherspoon was arrested after a victim,bleeding profusely and disoriented from the cold of the snow andconsiderable blood loss, flagged down a motorist on Auburn Drive.He told deputies and first responders that his assailant had cuthim multiple times, taken his car and left him in the woods.

Previously, Jones said, Weatherspoon had been convicted ofanother aggravated assault and grand theft of an automobile in PikeCounty.

Weatherspoon has already been transferred to the Rankin CountyCorrectional Facility to begin serving his sentence. Jones saidshe’s happy to have the case complete.

“I welcome the absence of his name from our docket,” shesaid.