Wednesday, June 20, 2012
YOUNGSTOWN
A 19-year-old city man likely will be headed to prison for two years after pleading guilty to shooting his mother’s boyfriend in the face with a shotgun last year.
Charles Bulatko of Parkwood Avenue had been charged with attempted murder with a firearm specification in the April 2011 incident. He appeared before Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday for a pretrial hearing at which he pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the attempted murder charge and Bulatko pleaded guilty to assault. He also pleaded guilty to a gun specification in the shooting.
Nicholas Brevetta, an assistant county prosecutor, said Bulatko could be sentenced to as much as 21/2 years in prison. Prosecutors are recommending a two-year sentence. Bulatko will be sentenced Aug. 10.
Youngstown police were called to the Parkwood Avenue home Bulatko shares with his 39-year-old mother around midnight April 10, 2011, to investigate a shooting.
When officers arrived at the house, they found the mother intoxicated and sitting on the front porch with her 36-year-old boyfriend, who was nursing a large wound to the left side of his face.
Reports say the woman was holding the wounded man and yelling hysterically. When asked what happened, the woman repeatedly yelled that “Chuckie” shot the man.
The woman told police she tried to intervene in the situation between her boyfriend and son before the shooting by standing in front of the boyfriend to protect him, but Bulatko pushed her out of the way and fired a shot at the man.
The victim was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center and immediately rushed into surgery. He survived the shooting.
Bulatko fled the Parkwood Avenue area with a group of teens not involved in the shooting. He was arrested a short time later.
Brevetta said prosecutors decided to enter into the plea agreement to ensure a conviction in the case.
“The defendant in this case had a viable claim of self-defense. Rather than risk a not-guilty verdict at trial, we just decided to resolve the matter this way,” said Brevetta.