N. Idaho jury convicts transient in stabbing case

A Kootenai County jury has convicted a 56-year-old transient of aggravated battery for stabbing another homeless man in Coeur d’Alene earlier this year.

James H. Kountz was also found guilty Wednesday of using a deadly weapon in the June attack on James R. Hoglen.

During the two-day trial, prosecutors argued that Kountz was an aggressor, was not acting in self-defense and was on the run for days after the attack.

The Coeur d’Alene Press reports that Hoglen suffered four serious stab wounds to his abdomen, two of which were 4-inch-long gashes. He also suffered a stab wound to the center of his face, severing nerves and affecting his breathing.

Kountz is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6.