Spade Attacker Sentenced

April 20, 2001 -- David Spade's former personal assistant was sentenced to five years' probation Thursday after pleading guilty to attacking the Just Shoot Me star with a stun gun.

A Beverly Hills, Calif., judge also ordered David Warren "Skippy" Malloy, 30, to undergo counseling and to perform 480 hours of community service, Reuters notes. Malloy, who was facing up to six years in prison for zapping his actor pal, avoided jail time by entering into a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Burglary charges against Malloy were dropped. He was ordered to submit to periodic drug testing and not to own or use stun guns or other weapons.

In an event that shaped up as one of last year's most bizarre stories, Malloy was arrested in November after allegedly burglarizing Spade's home. The actor called 911 to report that Malloy, who had worked for the star for five years, had attacked him with a stun gun during a struggle.

Spade suffered minor injuries in the altercation but refused medical treatment and returned to the set of his hit show that same day. He called Malloy a "good friend" who was "obviously mentally troubled."

Spade stars as a mullet-headed loser in the critically reviled comedy Joe Dirt, which earned $8 million at the box office its opening weekend.

Reuters contributed to this story.