Man sentenced to prison for knocking out cop

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A city man who pleaded guilty to charges he knocked out a police officer was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison.

Darrius Easterly, 38, received the sentence from Judge Anthony Donofrio in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court following a guilty plea to a charge of assault on a police officer, a fourth-degree felony.

The 18 months is the maximum sentence Easterly can receive.

Easterly was accused of knocking out a MercyHealth police officer Dec. 12.

Easterly was at the Belmont Avenue campus of St. Elizabeth Health Center when he “became violent” and punched a hospital officer in the face, knocking the officer out.

Prosecutors never said what Easterly was doing at the hospital.

Easterly was arrested Oct. 2 by city police on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the third time he has faced that charge, following a call by a woman downtown who said someone had just shot at her. He was found by police in the 600 block of Mahoning Avenue. Reports said he had a .45-caliber handgun on him when he was searched.

Court records show when it was time for his Oct. 23 preliminary hearing to see if there was probable cause to have a grand jury hear the case, the charge was dismissed because the city police officer who arrested him was no longer available because that officer left to take a job with another department.

That officer has since returned to duty with Youngstown police.

Easterly did undergo a competency evaluation at the request of his attorney. The evaluation found that Easterly is competent to stand trial.

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