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Woman sentenced to probation for rioting
YOUNGSTOWN
The first of seven women involved in a March melee that left a Youngstown police officer injured will spend the next 18 months on probation and perform 40 hours of community service for assault, aggravated rioting and child endangering.
Jenicia Abrams, 19, of Parkwood Avenue, appeared Tuesday before Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for sentencing on the felony and misdemeanor charges. She previously had pleaded guilty to the charges in a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Nicholas Brevetta, an assistant county prosecutor, said prosecutors, under the terms of the plea agreement, agreed to stand silent on a sentencing recommendation. Brevetta, however, did comment on Abrams conduct that led to the charges.
“This behavior by Miss Abrams is demonstrative of her opinion of our justice system,” he said.
Abrams could have been sentenced to as much as 18 months in prison.
The charges against Abrams stem from an altercation between two carloads of women. Youngstown Police Officer Bridget Quinn responded to the call for a disturbance and was injured breaking up the fight.
Quinn, at an earlier preliminary hearing, said she arrived at the location to find several woman standing outside of two cars engaged in a verbal altercation. She said she tried to separate the women, but Briyanna Littlejohn tried to attack one of the other women.
Quinn said she attempted to place Littlejohn under arrest, but the woman jumped into the back seat of one of the cars and began to wrestle with her and resist arrest. She said multiple other women at the scene began to fight with her as she attempted to pull Briyanna Littlejohn out of the car and make the arrest.
Littlejohn has pleaded guilty to felony charges related to the fight. She is scheduled to appear for sentencing Tuesday before Judge Durkin.
Atty. James Vivo, representing Abrams, said the matter comes down to a group of young women fighting one another and making bad decisions.
“I think it is important to dissect the incident and take a look at what happened. ... What this boils down to is a bunch of young girls making bad decisions, none of which could appreciate the criminal consequences,” he said.
Vivo noted that his client has no previous criminal record and is seen as having a minimal chance of becoming a repeat offender.
Judge Durkin said it is important to note that Littlejohn is believed to have caused Quinn’s injuries, Abrams did not leave the car she was in during the altercation and the 19-year-old woman has no criminal history.
The judge ordered the probation and community service instead of a prison sentence.
Besides Jenicia Abrams and Briyanna Littlejohn, there are five other women charged in connection with the altercation. They are Jamalia Abrams, 21, of Parkwood Avenue; Alicia Davis, 20, of Winona Avenue; Ronisha Harris, 21, of Columbus Street, Struthers; Britany West, 20, of Winona Avenue; and Brittany Littlejohn, 21, of Eastway Drive.