Oroville Man Sentenced for Stabbing Three Family Members and Dog
09.25.2026 "Press Release" - Butte County District Attorney's Office
An Oroville man, previously on probation for attacking family members, was back in court yesterday to be sentenced for yet another attack on those family members and the family dog.
Johnny Dillinger Stanchfield, 22, was sentenced to 21 years and 8 months in prison on multiple counts of attempted murder for stabbing his mother, grandmother, uncle, and the family dog during an attack on July 28, 2026, at the family home in Oroville.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said Oroville Police were called to the home at approximately 1:30 p.m. after a report that a mother had been stabbed by her son. Officers arriving on the scene found the mother, grandmother, and uncle severely stabbed multiple times with what was reported to be a folding knife with a three-inch blade.
The family dog, Grimsley, a four-year-old pit bull, was also severely stabbed.
All three human victims stated the attack was unprovoked. For unknown reasons, the attack stopped, and Stanchfield fled out the back door and was later located and arrested nearby.
Officers and medical personnel stabilized the victims, including Grimsley, and sent them all to local area hospitals. All underwent emergency surgeries and are recovering.
Stanchfield, at the time of the July attack, was on felony probation for two prior attacks on his family in 2025. He had hit his uncle with a baseball bat during a family dispute and, about a month later, poked his mother with a knife because her dog had been chasing his cat.
In those two cases, Stanchfield ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of felony assault and resisting arrest. At a January 2026 sentencing for those two prior felony cases, the Probation Department recommended that Stanchfield receive probation, noting his family’s reluctance to pursue criminal charges at the time.
The judge placed Stanchfield on probation with the condition that he seek mental health and substance abuse treatment.
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