Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane announced that on February 20, 2024, Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Krista M. Carman sentenced James Robert Patton, 35, of Spring Valley, AZ, to eighteen years in prison for Attempted Second-Degree Murder, Burglary and two counts of Aggravated Assault. Patton was facing a minimum of seven years in prison after being convicted by a Yavapai County jury. Mr. McGrane thanked the jurors for their careful attention to the evidence at trial and stated, “Violence such as this has no place in our society. My office will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits violent crimes, and will seek lengthy prison sentences in cases such as this.”
County Attorney McGrane also commended the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department on an excellent investigation into what happened. The investigation revealed that early on the morning of August 23, 2021, James Robert Patton entered the victim’s residence and brutally attacked him with a knife. The victim was stabbed multiple times, including a serious laceration to the throat. After Patton fled, the victim was able to alert his 15-year-old daughter, who called for help. The victim survived thanks to the life-saving efforts of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies, members of the Mayer Fire Department, and the medical staff who treated him. The victim identified Patton as his attacker.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office began searching for Patton, including deploying deputies and a helicopter to a remote desert area of Yavapai County near Cordes Lakes. Patton ultimately surrendered to deputies 4 days after the attack on Mr. Wallace. A short time later, a man who was camping in the same desert area found some abandoned bloody clothing that a lab analyses confirmed contained DNA from the victim and Patton.
