YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A man who was charged for his role in a shooting earlier this year was sentenced Monday to up to seven and a half years in prison.
Jerome Williams, 22, pleaded guilty before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to a charge of felonious assault.
A charge of attempted murder was dropped in exchange for his plea. Attorneys agreed on a sentence of three to four and a half years for the felonious assault and three years for a firearm specification, and Judge Krichbaum upheld their recommendation.
Williams was arrested June 10 for his role in an April 24 shooting that wounded a man in the leg.
Assistant Prosecutor Michael Rich said Williams is not the shooter, but he had the gun used in the crime. Casings recovered from the crime scene matched the gun, Rich said. Rich said Williams was an accomplice in the shooting but he did not elaborate.
Defense attorney JP Laczko said Williams was in the victim’s van with the shooter after selling the victim some marijuana when, for some reason, the man was shot.
Laczko said this is his client’s first brush with the law.
Police found a van in the 100 block of Gypsy Lane that had been damaged by gunfire shortly after the shooting and believe that is the van where Williams was shot. The shooting was captured on video.
Detective Sgt Chad Zubal, said the shooting originally happened in the 1500 block of Woodcrest Avenue.
Williams, who lost an eye when he was younger because of an incident with a BB gun, told police he only knows the nickname of the man who fired the shot.
Williams apologized to the victim.
“I didn’t mean to be involved,” Williams says. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I let my family down.”
Judge Krichbaum said Williams is lucky the victim was not injured more severely.
“If you’re not a man of faith you should get down on your hands and knees and thank the good Lord this man didn’t die because of your criminal conduct.”
Judge Krichbaum also said he only agreed to the sentence because the victim in the case also did. The victim consulted with Rich before the hearing but was not present for the actual hearing.
“This is a very meager sentence, in my opinion,” Judge Krichbaum said.