LIMA — Damitrae Conethan sobbed uncontrollably Monday when Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Reed sentenced her to two years in prison for running down her former boyfriend with a sports utility vehicle.
Conethan’s stay in prison could be short-lived, however, as Reed suggested he would give “serious consideration” to granting the Lima woman a judicial release after she served six months of her sentence. Taking into account that Reed granted the woman 167 days of jail credit for time already served, her request for freedom could come within a month.
Conethan, 26, was charged initially with two counts of attempted murder for allegedly striking one man with her sports utility vehicle and attempting to hit another male pedestrian. She accepted a negotiated deal from prosecutors last month and pleaded guilty to a single count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony. The state dismissed two counts of attempted murder and one count of felonious assault.
State patrol reports indicate Sheldon Gibson, 33, Conethan’s former boyfriend, and Trevor Hurley, 33, both of Lima, were walking southbound on Neubrecht Road near Findlay Road on Nov. 8, 2017, when Gibson was struck by a Mercury Mountaineer driven by Conethan. Troopers said Conethan intentionally drove the vehicle at both men, only striking Gibson, who was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
During Monday’s hearing, Conethan apologized to Gibson, who was in the courtroom.
“I am truly sorry for the injuries I have caused. Nothing can justify what I did. It was wrong, and now I will pay a high price for my recklessness,” Conethan said. “I am just asking the court to please, please give me a second chance to show my true character.”
Reed said the relationship between the victim and the defendant “could be a Dr. Jekyll-Mrs. Hyde type of thing, where one snap judgment” caused things to spiral out of control. “But our society has deemed certain conduct to be criminal, and I believe [sentencing Conethan to] community control would be demeaning to the victim,” the judge said.
Conethan faced a maximum sentence of eight years behind bars.
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