Man who stabbed Twin Cities bar patron 17 times sentenced, set to leave prison in 2 years

A 52-year-old man received a 4½-year term Friday for stabbing a Twin Cities bar patron 17 times on St. Patrick’s weekend.

Kendrick L. Dotstry, 52, of Brooklyn Park, was sentenced by Hennepin County District Judge Carolina Lamas after Dotstry pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in connection with the stabbing on March 16, 2024, at SteveO’s in the 4900 block of West Broadway in Crystal.

With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Dotstry is expected to serve the first 2¼ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

The plea deal included that an attempted second-degree murder count be dismissed.

According to the complaint:

A police officer on patrol was flagged down by a bar employee and told someone had been stabbed at SteveO’s. The employee pointed to Dotstry as the perpetrator. While detained, Dotstry said he was the victim and had been punched in the face.

Police saw the victim on a barstool and bleeding from several stab wounds. The victim survived the attack.

Officers reviewed video surveillance that showed a man seated next to Dotstry. The man’s arm touched Dotstry a couple of times. Dotstry appeared to communicate with the man, who apparently “put his hand up in an apologetic manner,” the complaint read.

Both men stood. The man walked toward Dotstry, who started swinging in a stabbing motion. The man tried to put Dotstry in a headlock, but the stabbing continued “even as [the man] had fallen to his knee and slumped to the ground,” the complaint noted.

Medical personnel counted nine stab wounds to the man’s lower back among the 17 total.

Dotstry denied to police that he stabbed the man. A knife was recovered near where Dotstry was arrested.

A woman at the bar suffered a minor cut to her arm stemming from the fight behind her.

Court records do not identify either victim.