SANDPOINT - A preliminary hearing remains on hold for a Sandpoint man implicated in a stabbing and beating in Ponderay last winter.

Timothy “Bear” Grant Larson's hearing is being pushed into December because he is undergoing substance abuse treatment in southern Idaho, according to court records.

Larson's hearing had been set for June 18, but it was postponed because he remains in treatment. It's the fourth time the hearing to determine whether a trial is justified has been put off.

Larson, 29, is charged with felony battery in connection with the Feb. 29 attack on a man who was beaten and knifed in the abdomen. The 48-year-old victim survived the assault.

Adam Rew Carash, a 27-year-old from Sandpoint, was also accused of taking part in the attack, but witness statements filed after he was charged suggested Carash was acting in self defense when he delivered a knockout punch.

One witness statement indicated the victim advanced on both Larson and Carash, who backed up repeatedly in a failed attempt to avoid a physical confrontation. The felony battery charge against Carash was ultimately reduced to a misdemeanor.

While awaiting sentencing, Carash was accused of violating a no-contact order by taunting the victim with an offensive hand gesture, but the charge was dismissed after Carash pleaded guilty to the battery charge.

Judge Debra Heise sentenced Carash earlier this month to 126 days in jail with 100 days suspended and credit for six days served, court records show.

What sparked the confrontation remains unclear. The state has offered no motive and the defense declines to discuss the cases.