Sentencing set for Wednesday in assault at area restaurant

By Elise Franco

The victim of an assault last summer told the judge she still feels pain.

AUSTINTOWN — Heidi Gill, accused of assaulting a township woman last July, said she regrets her actions and hopes the judge will give her a chance for reprieve.

Gill, 40, of Niles, appeared before Judge Diane Vettori of Mahoning County Area Court on Monday for a sentencing hearing on a misdemeanor assault charge.

In December she had pleaded no contest. Another charge of disorderly conduct was dismissed at that time.

Witnesses said Gill slapped, punched and pulled out the hair of the victim inside Denny’s Restaurant on Mahoning Avenue last July 2.

Two of the victim’s friends, a bystander and a Denny’s employee, told police the attack was unprovoked, and when police arrived, Gill had a clump of the woman’s hair in her hand.

The victim, who was 18 at the time, told the judge she feels a lasting impact.

“After this happened I’ve been really scared,” she said. “I get real nervous, and my back hurts. It still hurts.”

Judge Vettori also heard testimony from Gill and her psychologist Douglas Darnall, of PsyCare in Liberty.

A sentencing decision was postponed until Wednesday so the judge could review the case facts. Gill faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Defense attorney Martin E. Yavorcik recommended Gill be placed on probation, under “extreme supervision,” and required to make full restitution to the victim.

Gill told the judge that she is remorseful.

“From the bottom of my heart I am sorry that you were there and this happened,” she said to the victim.

Yavorcik said Gill had been required by the court to see a psychologist and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. He said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety and suffered from seizures after being stunned by a Warren police officer with a stun gun outside of a Warren bar in September 2007. The episode received wide television broadcast.

Darnall said the PTSD caused Gill to start drinking, making her uncharacteristically violent on the night of the attack.

“Miss Gill, at times, tried to control her anxiety with drinking,” he said. “She has been consistent in acknowledging that she needs treatment and will continue to need treatment.”

Yavorcik said effects from the stun gun cause Gill to sometimes lose consciousness.

“She has no memory of this event,” he said. “She has no history of violence.”

Gill said she would do everything necessary to correct her mistake.

“I definitely will do whatever you order me to do,” she said. “I think I make bad decisions on my own.”

efranco@vindy.com