Ohio Man punches, bites leg of own lawyer after being sentenced to 45 years in prison
An Ohio man sentenced close to five decades in prison vented his anger on his own defense attorney, sucker punching him in the face.
The 42-year-old David Chilston received the lengthy sentence after being convicted of close to two dozen charges, including multiple counts of aggravated arson and felonious assault.
According to Cleveland.com, the dramatic assault scene unfolded in the Commons Plea courtroom on Tuesday after Judge Nancy Margaret Russo ruled that Chilston would have to serve 45 years behind bars after he was found guilty of of the 2017 crimes.
Chilston threw a punch at his lawyer Aaron Brockler, who was standing on the podium to his left. Both men fell to the floor and several deputies of Cuyahoga County, as well as a detective in the room waiting for an unrelated hearing, jumped on top of the 42-year-old to stop him.
During the 2017 incident for which he was standing trial, Chilston reportedly pistol-whipped his girlfriend and threatened to kill her after she accused him of sexually abusing her 15-year-old daughter. When police arrived at the scene, he set fire to the apartment complex and was involved in a standoff with deputies.
At his sentencing, Russo ordered Chilston to sign paperwork which would register him as an arsonist with the state. It was here that a deputy cuffed the 42-year-old in the front instead of the back and inadvertently gave him the ability to throw a swing.
Chilston reportedly had managed to bite Brockler on the leg and was dragged away from the attorney by foot by Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Jeff Schnatter.
Brockler had to be wheeled out of the courtroom by deputies and Cleveland EMTs and is said to have suffered a broken nose and a possible concussion.
But he was in good spirits joking to reporters outside that "it was pretty fun."
In an emailed statement addressing the incident, Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge John J. Russo wished Brockler a quick recovery and wrote, "This incident is a reminder that the safety of our employees, citizens and anyone else in our courtrooms should be a top priority. We thank the deputies and others who responded during the incident for their quick actions, and we encourage the sheriff’s department to fully review safety protocols for court proceedings."
Cleveland.com reported that deputies were now in the process of completing reports and filing additional charges against Chilston and that Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley's office plans to seek a special prosecutor to handle the case.