FLAT GAP, Ky. — A Johnson County man claims it was self-defense when he repeatedly stabbed a woman, sending her to the hospital in critical condition.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home on Route 1092 in Flat Gap over a report of an assault in progress. When Sheriff Doug Saylor and a deputy arrived, they found the victim entirely covered in blood from stab wounds in her chest and left arm.

Arthur Franklin Ray III, 59, of Flat Gap, surrendered himself a short time later. He told officers that he, the victim and another woman were drinking and having fun, when the victim suddenly “snapped” and began hitting him in the head, neck and arms.

Ray now faces up to 20 years in prison, after being charged with first-degree assault.