A Douglas County jury Friday acquitted a 41-year-old Lawrence man of charges he threatened two people with a knife during an August incident at a Lawrence apartment.

Prosecutors had accused Earl Wayne Silmon of two counts of aggravated assault and one count of making a criminal threat against a Lawrence couple early on Aug. 13 in the 1700 block of West 24th Street.

But jurors after hearing closing arguments Thursday afternoon returned Friday and found him not guilty of the three charges.

“Mr. Silmon had maintained his innocence from the beginning, and we felt the verdict reached was the correct one,” defense attorney Kevin Babbit said. “We thank the jury for their dedicated service in this case.”

Babbit had argued at the trial that there was an argument that morning but that Silmon did not use a knife to threaten or assault anyone.