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Man charged in Oct. 18 shooting in Steubenville gets 30 months in prison

STEUBENVILLE — Jermaine Crawford, 19, of 103 Cunningham Lane was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Monday by Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge Michelle Miller after Crawford pleaded guilty to an amended indictment in connection with an Oct. 18 shooting.

Crawford was indicted in December on charges of felonious assault, with a firearm specification, tampering with evidence and misdemeanor resisting arrest.

A 13-year-old male was shot in the leg around 6 p.m. on Oct. 18 at Pennsylvania and Ohio streets.

Police were in the area when officers heard shots being fired. Officers said they saw two people running in an alley. The officers reported they told the men to stop but they continued running. Crawford was arrested a short distance away, police reported.

The 13-year-old victim was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital, police reported.

Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Bruzzese and Crawford’s attorney, Wesley Buchanan, agreed to amend the felonious assault charge to aggravated assault because there was an exchange of gunshots between Crawford and the victim. Both said there was a question of self-defense for Crawford.

Bruzzese said Crawford will be able to file for judicial release. He said Crawford was a senior in high school when the shooting occurred.

“I hope he uses his time in prison wisely,” Bruzzese said, urging Crawford to get a GED and take advantage of other prison programs.

Buchanan said, “He has a very clear path of two options and he will get a taste of one of those options.”

Bruzzese said a gun was found near where Crawford was arrested, and DNA testing linked Crawford to the gun.

The ditching of the gun led to the tampering with evidence charge.

In another court case, Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. sentenced Charles Wilke, 21, of Salineville to 10 months in prison on a probation violation.

Wilke didn’t report to his probation officer and failed to undergo a drug test as ordered.

It was the second probation violation for Wilke, who had pleaded guilty to burglary and complicity to assault. The probation department reported Wilke has had no contact with the office since March 8.

Wilke started to shout obscenities at Bruzzese when the judge said Wilke was in violation of his probation. Two sheriff’s deputies had to control Wilke as he was shouting the obscenities.

(Law can be contacted at mlaw@heraldstaronline.com.)

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