Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina released a Nov. 8 announcement that a truck driver from North Carolina who was convicted of attempted murder for stabbing a co-worker at a Bordentown Township truck stop late last year was sentenced to 20 years in a New Jersey state prison.
Coffina said that Christopher Teeter, 42, of Wilmington, North Carolina, must serve 85% of the term before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence was handed down by Judge Terrence R. Cook.
The prosecutor reported that a Superior Court jury found Teeter guilty in August of attempted murder (first degree); aggravated assault (second degree); aggravated assault (third degree); possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (third degree); and unlawful possession of a weapon (fourth degree).
An investigation reported that Teeter and another driver, who were traveling together at the time, were at the Petro Truck Stop on Rising Sun Road on the morning of Oct. 12, 2018 when an argument ensued over the lack of cleanliness of their truck’s cabin.
Officials reported in the investigation that Teeter pulled a knife and attacked his co-worker, a 42-year-old Georgia resident. Officers arriving at the scene found the victim on the ground with stab wounds to his abdomen, and Teeter was located at the truck stop and arrested without incident, officials said.
The victim survived after undergoing emergency surgery at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, according to officials.
Teeter was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Jamie Hutchinson and Matthew Jaxheimer. The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bordentown Township Police Department. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Michael Reagan and Bordentown Township Detective Josh Pavlov.