Grady "Skip" Wilburn Dollar, 64, was accused of stabbing Mickey Joe Hill, 37, during a dispute early Thursday, said Sgt. Mark Richard of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department.
Richard said the two men had been drinking together when Dollar gave Hill $10 and told him to go to the store for more. Richard said Hill brought back only four cans of Natural Light, a low-cost brand, and Dollar got mad that he didn't get more for his money.
"He said, 'For $10 you could have gotten a half case,'" said Richard. "Four cans of Natural Light only cost $3 or $4."
The victim then asked for one of the four beers and pushed the older man when he refused to hand one over, the investigator said.
"Then the suspect went to the kitchen, got a big butcher knife and came back and stabbed him," Richard said.
Hill remained hospitalized with a wound to the lower abdomen but was expected to recover fully since the blade missed all major organs.
Dollar was free on $5,000 bond. Richard said records did not reflect that he had hired an attorney, and there was no telephone listing in Dollar's name.