Glenmont man pleads to shooting at jeep, injuring two
By Nick Sabo
February 4, 2014
362
SUMMARY: Assistant prosecutor recommends 180 days in jail
A Glenmont man pleaded guilty Tuesday Feb. 4 to charges that he shot and wounded two men he believed were trespassing on his property.
Michael J. Park, 60, 5120 Township Road 228, pleaded to two counts of assault in Holmes County Municipal Court. In exchange for his guilty plea, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Christine Williams dropped a criminal damaging charge.
Williams has recommended Park serve 180 days in jail. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 18.
The charges stem from Dec. 8, when Park fired a shotgun at a jeep traveling on Township Road 228. According to court records, Park believed the jeep had been on his property. However, Prosecuting Attorney Steve Knowling said Park fired at the jeep when it was in the roadway.
The driver, Justin Snell, 29, 4358 Township Road 55, Killbuck, and passenger, a 28-year-old Millersburg man, were struck in the upper body by shotgun pellets.
Snell drove the jeep to Pomerene Hospital, leading Holmes County Sheriffs deputies and Millersburg Police on a high speed chase along state Route 39 west that ended when the jeep reached the hospitals ER entrance.
The shooting was not reported and it was not known that the two men were injured until Snell stopped at the hospital.
Both Snell and his passenger were allegedly consuming alcohol the night of the shooting, according to court records. Snell has been charged with DUI, failure to comply with the signal of a police officer, and speeding.
Initially, Snell and the passenger could not remember where exactly the shooting occurred. Charges were filed against Park after the two men, assisted by law enforcement, retraced their steps from the night they were shot.
As a condition of Parks guilty plea, the shotgun used in the shooting will be forfeited. Park is a concealed carry license holder and the conviction will result in forfeiture of the concealed carry license, Williams said.
Restitution will be determined in a presentence investigation carried out by adult probation authorities, Williams said.
