Harrod resident Jase Schlesselman was sentenced to five years on program Friday for injuring a member of the police force at Memorial Health System during a drug-induced rage earlier this year.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Harrod man who admitted he attacked members of the Memorial Health System police department during a drug-induced rage earlier this year escaped prison time during his sentencing Friday in Allen County Common Pleas Court.
Jase Schlesselman, 23, pleaded guilty in November to a second-degree felony charge of felonious assault for his attack on officers Kelley Ricker and Kirtis Young at the Lima hospital in the early-morning hours of March 18. Ricker suffered an eye injury that led to double-vision and cause him to miss a substantial amount of time off work.
Schlesselman was indicted by a grand jury in May of a first-degree felony count of felonious assault in connection with Ricker’s injuries and subsequently pleaded to the reduced charge as part of a deal with prosecutors.
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, defense attorney Robert Gryzbowski said his client was at the time of the incident struggling with a drug addiction “that he dealt with through the street.”
Gryzbowski said Schlesselman was “acting strangely” on the night of the incident after apparently “being the victim of some kind of tainted drug.” He said Schlesselman is “extremely remorseful” and has remained drug-free since the incident.
Schlesselman read a letter to the court in which he apologized to Ricker and said he “never intended to injure officer or anyone else.”
Judge Terri Kohlrieser then addressed the Harrod man directly and sternly.
“You certainly stepped into something big,” the judge said. “You are looking at prison for up to eight years. You decked Officer Ricker pretty hard and his vision was seriously affected. When you make the choice to use drugs … other people often pay the price.”
Because of a mostly clean criminal history and the judge’s determination that he had a low likelihood of committing future crimes, Schlesselman avoided a prison term and was sentenced to five years on community control. Included in that sentence was a 90-day stint in the Allen County jail.
He was also ordered to complete any treatment recommended by his probation officer and to complete the court’s re-entry program.
Schlesselman was also ordered to write a letter of apology to Ricker.
