It took a Reno County jury just 20 minutes Wednesday to deem a Hutchinson man innocent of one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Christopher Blanton, 36, was arrested Sept. 27, 2006, on suspicion of aggravated assault and domestic battery after his then-girlfriend, Shannon Smith, told police he had threatened to kill her.

Both Blanton and Smith took the stand during trial Tuesday to testify, with Smith accusing Blanton of punching her, urinating on her and putting a knife to her throat.

"It was a case where the victim testified things happened one way, and the defendant testified things did not happen that way," said local attorney Greg Bell, who represented Blanton.

"There was no corroborating evidence to support what the victim said happened."

Bell noted there was no DNA or fingerprint testing done on the knife police found in the Hutchinson home the couple once shared. Police also didn't test a "wet spot" on the kitchen floor, where Blanton allegedly urinated, Bell said.

"I would think on a case such as this, where you have two people telling markedly different stories of what occurred, that you would want to do some type of testing on the weapon ," he said, noting the serious nature of the charge.

If Blanton had been convicted of the felony charge, he could have faced about a year to three years in prison.