CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (Sept. 2, 2025) – A Circleville man will serve prison time after being convicted in connection with a stabbing that stemmed from a dispute over a stolen bicycle.
The case traces back to June 4, 2025, when Circleville police and emergency crews were called to Sumpter Avenue around 5 p.m. They found a male victim suffering from a stab wound to the abdomen. The victim was airlifted by MedFlight to a critical care hospital.
Investigators quickly identified Clifford Browning, 51, as the suspect in the stabbing. He was charged with murder and felonious assault. A second man, Rodney Rutter, 39, faced charges of complicity to murder and complicity to felonious assault for his alleged role in the incident.
Circleville detectives had witnesses who came forward and told them that Browning was seen with a knife, and one witness confessed that Browning told them he stabbed someone. Court records show the stabbing began with a confrontation over a stolen bicycle. Browning ultimately stabbed the victim during the altercation.
This week in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court, Browning was sentenced to prison for his role in the attack. Rutter’s case remains pending. Browning pleaded guilty to Felonious assault, a Felony 4, and was sentenced to a year in prison at ORDC, with time served credit.
The sentencing closes a violent chapter in what began as a neighborhood dispute, though prosecutors said the outcome serves as a warning about how quickly everyday arguments can spiral into life-threatening situations.
