Assailants get jail time for February road rage assault
NEW PHILADELPHIA – The two assailants in a February assault will spend time in jail for the attack that authorities described as a road rage incident.
Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court Judge Elizabeth Thomakos Tuesday sentenced Wyatt Shaw, 20, of Gnadenhutten to 60 days in jail and Landon Levengood, 19, of Sherrodsville to 30 days in jail after they pleaded no contest to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, last month. Both will also be on probation for two years and pay restitution of $1,725 to the victim plus court costs.
Shaw was driving his pickup truck on Feb. 9 when the victim, a 53-year-old New Philadelphia man, honked his horn and flashed his brights after Shaw cut in front of him on West High Avenue near the I-77 exit.
Shaw followed the victim to his house.
Both Shaw’s attorney Christopher De La Cruz and Prosecutor Ryan Styer accused the other party of escalating the ensuing confrontation.
The attorneys said the end result was Shaw and Levengood hitting and kicking the victim around 10 times, leaving him with serious facial injuries, including a fractured eye socket. Styer says he has had two surgeries and needs a third.
Shaw apologized in court, but Thomakos questioned his character, pointing out he recorded what she described as a “victory video” at a gas station after the assault.
Thomakos labeled Shaw the leader in the situation and took much of the blame off of Levengood, who also apologized.
She said the punishment, including jail time for both defendants, is in part meant to send a message to others that this is not acceptable behavior.
Shaw and Levengood were taken in handcuffs from the courtroom to begin serving their jail sentences immediately.
Wyatt Shaw and Landon Levengood are handcuffed after Judge Elizabeth Thomakos sentenced them to local jail time and probation.
