A Toledo man who pleaded guilty to two counts of assault for discharging a firearm downtown has been sentenced to prison.
Javen McIntoush, 20, was transported from the jail Monday to the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Molly Mack.
McIntoush pleaded guilty in September to two counts of felonious assault, both second-degree felonies.
“This is obviously a very serious matter,” said defense attorney Vijay Puligandla. “I don’t think Mr. McIntoush had any intention for this to happen.”
He said McIntoush was visiting Bowling Green with friends and a scuffle occurred between another man and the victim.
Gunshots erupted and McIntoush was shot once, Puligandla said.
The shooter fired four or five times, striking McIntoush in the top of the head, Puligandla said.
Evidence includes the defendant’s ballcap, which had blood on it, he said.
“He ran away from the scene where it happened,” Puligandla said. “He was scared.”
The victims were not able to identify McIntoush after he was arrested in Lucas County for a separate incident, he said.
“I think there was a lot of confusion going on that night,” Puligandla said.
McIntoush has been sentenced to four years in prison for that incident, and Puligandla asked for a minimum sentence to run concurrent to the four-year Lucas County sentence.
Wood County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lara Rump recommended 10 years.
She said McIntoush had several firearms charges in 2021, and “the state has some concerns for public safety.”
McIntoush apologized and said he has worked to better himself while in jail.
“I made a mistake and I acknowledge it and take responsibility for it,” McIntoush said. “I don’t want to keep going to jail or being in prison. … I want to do more in my life.”
He added he can’t change the past but will make sure it never happens again.
On Aug. 1, 2021, McIntoush fired a handgun at two men at 2:06 a.m. in a parking lot in the 200 block of North Main Street.
Bowling Green police were responding to other altercations in the area of West Court Street when they heard the gunshots.
The Bowling Green Police Division, with assistance from the U.S. Marshal Service, arrested McIntoush on Sept. 8, 2021.
Mack said that McIntoush is a young man with a significant criminal history.
“You show no signs of slowing down your criminal behavior,” she said. “It appears the only way to protect the public is to keep you incarcerated for a period of time.”
Mack sentenced McIntoush to four years for each assault charge with a tail of two years added to one count due to the Reagan Tokes Act.
The sentences will be served consecutively, and consecutive to the Lucas County case.
The Wood County sentence is a minimum of eight years and a maximum of 10 years.
McIntoush will be given credit for time served.
Co-defendants Cedrion Williams, 20, and Cedric Williams Jr., 21, both of Toledo, were sentenced in July to community control.
During their plea hearings, it was reported that when shots were fired, the brothers took off and ran to Cedrion’s car. Cedric, who was a passenger in the vehicle, sent a message to McIntoush, asking for his location. Cedrion then picked him up.
Cedrion Williams pleaded guilty to attempted tampering with evidence, a fourth-degree felony, and obstructing justice, a third-degree felony.
He was sentenced of three years community control with 90 days of house arrest.
Cedric Williams was sentenced to two years of community control after pleading guilty in May to attempted obstruction of justice, a fourth-degree felony.
