Suspected Napa intruder stabs homeowner. The owner fights back

In a stunning reversal of fortune, a 61-year-old man who was stabbed outside his Napa County home defended himself by pulling out the knife and stabbing his attacker in the back, police said.

The stabbing was reported around 9 a.m. Saturday in the 5200 block of Silverado Trail, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s spokesman Henry Wofford said the victim went outside to check a circuit breaker after a power outage at his residence. While outside, the man encountered an unknown man, later identified as Andrew Dixon, 33, who was standing on his property. The men had never met before, Wofford said.

When the victim confronted Dixon for trespassing, officials said, Dixon responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing the victim in the back. The two men fought, and while they were struggling, the 61-year-old man pulled the knife from his back and used it to stab Dixon in the torso just below his chest, according to Wofford.

“You have a fight-or-flight personality,” Wofford said. “This person was a combative personality.”

The stabbing brought Dixon to his knees and he remained subdued until authorities arrived. Both men were transported to Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Dixon was released from the hospital Saturday and booked into the Napa County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in custody without bail, although charges had not yet been submitted Monday to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office, spokesman Carlos Villatoro said.

After surviving the attack, the man was released from the hospital, Wofford said.

“This story has a happy ending,” Wofford said. “Not everyone ends up this way.”