Prosecutors Up Charges Against Man Who Attacked McDonald's Worker

Prosecutors have elevated the charges against a 25-year-old man accused of assaulting a teenage McDonald's employee outside the restaurant.

Johnny Ricks, from north St. Louis County, now faces a first-degree felony assault charge, the closest charge to attempted murder permitted under Missouri law.

An updated complaint filed yesterday by prosecutors in St. Louis County contains the amended allegations. Previously, Ricks had been accused of "recklessly" causing serious physical injury to Aryiah Lynch by striking her. Now he is charged with "knowingly" causing her injury "by punching and stomping the victim in the head."

Those few words could make a significant difference for Ricks.

The maximum punishment for the previous charge was seven years behind bars. Under this new charge, which is a class A felony, he could face 30 years in prison.

The charges stem from a melee that occurred on April 7 outside a McDonald's in north St. Louis County just east of Black Jack. (Initial media reports wrongly placed the McDonald’s in nearby Florissant, but the area is instead unincorporated.)

According to a GoFundMe set up by Lynch's family to help cover the teen's medical bills, a group of adults came into the fast food spot and harassed and even spat on employees.

A police probable cause statement says that after Ricks threw a tray into an electronic menu, employees escorted him outside, where things apparently escalated. A man believed to be Ricks was captured on video allegedly pulling Lynch to the ground by her long braids and then stomping on her head twice.

The GoFundMe, which has raised more than $30,000, says that Lynch was treated at a hospital for a skull fracture, a broken nose and frontal lobe damage.

She is no longer in the hospital but does require doctor visits to treat her injuries. According to an update posted by the teen's mother, Lynch still has swelling in her face and cannot breathe out of her nose.

Ricks has a bond reduction hearing on Thursday.