Berkley Man Arrested in Vicious Royal Oak Attack Appears in Court

in an assault on an acquaintaince that Royal Oak police described as vicious appeared in court Wednesday, The Daily Tribune reports.

Royal Oak 44th District Judge Terrence Brennan delayed a preliminary examination hearing on the evidence against 20-year-old Brent Smetana until later this month, according to The Daily Tribune.

Smetana faces charges of assault with intent to murder after officers responded to a noise call at 3:37 a.m. July 25 at the Beverly Hills Apartments and found him viciously beating an older man, according to Royal Oak Police.

The victim, David Chambers, was beaten, stabbed and bitten and was transported to William Beaumont Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Chambers and Smetana have been acquaintances for more than one year, police said, and Smetana had moved into Chambers' apartment less than one week before the incident. Smetana is being held on $500,000 bond.

His aunt and uncle appeared in the courtroom Wednesday, but declined to comment, The Daily Tribune reports.

"It is unclear whether drugs played any role in the attack, but defense attorney Jack Holmes indicated Smetana, a 2009 graduate, has used drugs," according to The Daily Tribune.