The two assailants in a February assault in New Philadelphia will spend time in jail for the attack that authorities described as a road rage incident.
Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Elizabeth Thomakos Tuesday sentenced 20-year-old Wyatt Shaw of Gnadenhutten to 60 days in jail and 19-year-old Landon Levengood of Sherrodsville to 30 days in jail after they pleaded no contest to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, last month.
Both will also be on probation for two years. Shaw was the driver on February 9th when the victim, a 53-year-old New Philadelphia man, honked his horn and flashed his brights after Shaw cut in front of him on West High Avenue near the I-77 exit. Shaw followed the victim to his house.
Both Shaw’s attorney Christopher De La Cruz and Prosecutor Ryan Styer accused the other party of escalating the ensuing confrontation.
The end result was Shaw and Levengood hitting and kicking the victim around 10 times, leaving him with serious injuries.
Shaw apologized in court.
“I’d just like to say that I apologoze for everything that happened that night and if I could take it back I would.”
However, Thomakos questioned his character considering he recorded what she described as a “victory video” at a gas station after the assault.
“That is the very truck you featured in your little celebration video showing the blood spatter, showing your reaction after. I’ve seen the video and maybe all these people who wrote these letters for you should have seen that video too because I think that speaks to your character.”
Thomakos labeled Shaw the leader in the situation and took some of the culpability off of Levengood. She said the punishment, including jail time for both defendants, is in part meant to send a message to others that this is not acceptable behavior.
Shaw and Levengood were taken in handcuffs from the courtroom to begin serving their jail sentences immediately.
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