A western Iowa man who was the subject of a manhunt in Carroll that led to a school lockdown earlier this year, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of domestic abuse assault and willful injury. The Omaha World-Herald reports 27-year old Mark Lee, of Carroll, was sentenced Tuesday to 15-years in prison as part of a plea agreement. Lee used a samurai sword to stab his former girlfriend, Christine Burtnett, the night of May 17th. The stabbing took place in Lee’s rented home in Carroll. Authorities said afterward, Lee took the woman to his basement, choked her and tied her up with electrical cord.
The next morning, Lee left for work. Burtnett was able to get free and went to a neighboring house for help. Local schools were put on lockdown as a precaution. Burtnett was flown by helicopter to a Des Moines hospital with a wound to her chest. She is still recovering from her wounds.
After a day-long pursuit, police found Lee hiding under the deck of a north Carroll residence at 8:30 p.m. and arrested him. At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Lee’s attorney said his client had served in the Army, deployed to Afghanistan and suffered from post-traumatic-stress disorder.