The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
MAN AVOIDS PRISON
Perry Twp. resident gets community control in Madison Twp. shooting incident
Jason Harman faced up to 54 months in prison after admitting firing a gun at a car full of teens in Madison Township.
But Lake County Common Pleas Judge Eugene A. Lucci instead heeded the emotional request of defense attorney Michael Peterson, who begged for mercy on behalf of his young client.
“He’s not a bad kid,” Peterson said of the Perry Township resident. “He’s just a 19-year-old boy who made a stupid, stupid mistake. A shotgun was fired in the ground! That’s the case! Don’t send him to prison for that!”
Harman was sentenced to three years of community control with 150 days at the local jail.
“The state was asking for four years in prison for a 19-year-old,” Lucci said. “It is my determination if I were to give you a fouryear sentence, you’d come out of prison much worse.”
A witness reported that at least one man in a black Kia fired at a silver Jeep Cherokee.
Harman was among four males who were arrested after a traffic stop following an altercation that occurred around 2 a.m. Feb. 20, in the 6100 block of North Ridge Road. Nobody was injured during the incident, and the Jeep was not struck.
“He’s an expert marksman who has been around guns all his life. If he wanted to injure someone — shoot that car — he could have done it,” Peterson argued. The judge agreed. “The vehicles were close enough that if the defendant wanted to put a round in the vehicle, that could have easily been accomplished,” said Lucci. “The court believes the defendant is genuinely remorseful.”
Harman, who previously pleaded guilty to attempted felonious assault and improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, apologized to the victims’ families.
“I did not bring a gun in the car to harm anybody — simply to scare them away,” he said. “I believed I was helping a buddy.”
His father, Jason Harman Sr., said he was sorry on behalf of his son.
“He was just trying to act like a big shot and scare some people,” the defendant’s father said.
The mother of one of the
Jeep passengers said she forgives Harman.
“I appreciate you apologizing,” she said, adding, “Make better choices.”
Assistant County Prosecutor Jenny Azouri said Harman had no right to use a 12-gauge shotgun like a toy.
“This whole thing started out as a verbal altercation over a girl, and (Harman) wasn’t even part of the verbal altercation,” Azouri said. “He didn’t even know any of the four victims, and they didn’t know him.”
Harman had no prior felony record and no issues with drugs or alcohol, his attorney said.
Two of three co-defendants have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the incident.
The judge ordered Harman to complete anger management, perform 200 hours of community service and maintain fulltime employment and/or school during his probation.
If he violates any of his terms, Harman could then be ordered to serve hard time in prison after all.
“If you talk about dodging bullets, you dodged a bullet here,” said Lucci.