Man who punched fans at freshman football game pleads guilty to reduced charges
MILLERSBURG (WJER) (July 17, 2024) – A 46-year-old New Philadelphia man has reached a plea deal with Holmes County prosecutors nine months after a video showed him punching two fans in the stands of a freshman football game at West Holmes High School.
Raymond Korns last week pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, and two misdemeanor accounts of assault. He had initially been charged with two second-degree felonies and four misdemeanors.
The incident took place on Oct. 12 of last year. While the video from the stands was more dramatic, the harsher charges came from what police say happened in the parking lot after. The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office reported Korns struck a person with his car as he fled the lot.
Officials said one of the men who was punched, a 72-year-old Millersburg man, was treated at Pomerene Hospital with visible injuries. Two other victims declined treatment at the scene.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15. The amended felony charge does not require a mandatory prison sentence. The maximum sentence for a fourth-degree felony is 6 to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
An attorney listed for Korns did not immediately return a phone message.