USA TODAY International Edition
Probation for man who shoved teen
The man convicted of harassing an autistic teenage cross- country runner in October was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation and 80 hours of community service.
Martin MacDonald, 57, had pleaded guilty in November to a charge of second- degree harassment, which is a violation, and a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
His sentence was in line with what the prosecution had requested and included an order barring him from contacting the teenager, Chase Coleman, or his family for five years. MacDonald’s attorney, Gary Gianforti, asked that only community service be imposed.
Prior to sentencing in Rochester City Court, a tearful MacDonald read a statement in which he apologized to Chase and his family, who were in the courtroom, and said he had been volunteering with an autism advocacy group to learn more about the condition. MacDonald said he had no idea that Chase was autistic and revealed that he was once a high school cross- country runner whose home course was in Cobb’s Hill Park, the site of the incident.
“I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald encountered Chase, 15, in the park on Oct. 14 as Chase, who is from Syracuse, N. Y., was attempting to finish a 3.1- mile cross- country race.
Chase was running for his high school and wearing a uniform and bib number, but he was lagging far behind the rest of the runners. His mother said she believes her son, who has difficulty communicating, got lost on the route and turned to MacDonald for help.
MacDonald has never spoken publicly of the confrontation, but police reports indicated that he acknowledged shoving Chase to the ground.
One police report — there were two — showed that MacDonald was unaware of Chase’s disability and expressed remorse for the altercation.