An Athens man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to shooting his wife while she was sleeping.
Jerry Lewis, 60, was indicted in August 2011 for the non-fatal shooting of his wife Connie Lewis, who has since filed for divorce. He also pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing four checks from her purse while she was recovering in the hospital.
In total, Jerry Lewis stole $1,200 from his wife, said Michael Prisley, assistant prosecutor for the county.
He negotiated a plea deal that would have him sentenced to four years in prison, but Judge L. Alan Goldsberry said that a formal sentence hasn’t been finalized.
According to court documents, Lewis was charged with felonious assault, theft, and forgery, felonies of the second, fifth and fifth degrees, respectively.
He was scheduled to appear in the Athens County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday at 9 a.m., however, the plea deal was negotiated before the trial would eventually start at about 10:30 a.m.
Lewis agreed to plead guilty and waived his right to a jury trial in return for a sentencing recommendation of four years prison time from Prisley. The maximum penalty for these charges is $20,000 in fines and up to 10 years in prison.
Lewis will still be responsible for the cost of the trial and jury and is forbidden contact with his wife.
Lewis is currently bound to a release on recognizance bond, forbidding him contact with firearms. If he breaks the bond, the court will drop any obligation to follow the sentencing recommendation.
A
provision of the plea agreement also forbids contact between Jerry Lewis and his wife outside of divorce proceedings. The two will appear in the Athens County Court of Common Pleas on Sept. 21.
Lewis’ sentence will be formally announced on a later date.
bl917911@ohiou.edu
@Branden_Lab
