A 61-year-old Butler man is facing criminal charges after police say he was stabbed in the neck by a woman he was allegedly trying to hit during a break-in at her apartment on the 300 block of McKean Street. Daniel Watters was preparing to strike the victim when she used a knife to defend herself, according to charging documents, and he now faces trespassing and assault counts, while the cited charging documents do not address charges against the woman.
The confrontation happened on August 15 inside the McKean Street apartment, according to charging documents reported by ButlerRadio.com. Watters allegedly forced his way into the residence and was about to hit the woman when she stabbed him in the neck to stop the attack, the outlet reported, citing the charging documents. The available records do not detail what happened to Watters afterward.
Choking Allegations Preceded the Stabbing
Court documents allege that before he was stabbed, Watters choked and struck the woman as he tried to force his way into the apartment, per the same charging paperwork cited by ButlerRadio.com. Those choking allegations formed the basis for two separate simple assault counts against him, in addition to a criminal trespassing charge. Under Pennsylvania law, simple assault is graded as a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison and fines of up to $5,000 per count, according to Pennsylvania DUI Attorney.
The trespassing charge is also among the counts identified in the charging documents. Those documents do not specify the offense grading or the statutory subsection, so the potential penalty cannot be determined from the cited material.
Why the Woman Wasn't Charged
Watters faces the felony trespass count and the two misdemeanor assault counts. The cited sources do not state whether the woman was charged. Pennsylvania's Castle Doctrine provides that an occupant defending themselves inside their own residence has no legal duty to retreat and may be presumed justified in using force, including deadly force, against someone unlawfully entering an occupied home, according to RGS&G Law. The sources do not state that police or prosecutors applied that doctrine to this case.
Watters was released on nonmonetary bail following his arrest. Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 524 allows magisterial district courts to release defendants without requiring cash collateral, so long as they agree to comply with court-imposed conditions while their case moves forward, per the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law. It remains unclear whether specific conditions, such as a no-contact order, were attached to his release.
Case Heads to Preliminary Hearing
Watters is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on September 21. At that stage, prosecutors must establish a prima facie case — showing a crime occurred and that Watters likely committed it — a lower bar than proof beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Margetas Legal. The cited sources do not report plans to seek additional or upgraded charges or to review medical records.
The case concerns an alleged stabbing during a reported break-in in Butler; the cited material provides no broader crime or population comparison.
