Judge agrees with prosecutors: wife, dog attacker deserves more time

YOUNGSTOWN

A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge Wednesday rejected a request from a defense lawyer to give his client a three-year sentence for a firearm specification on charges stemming from an attack on his wife, saying that the crime was too violent to ignore the other charges.

Judge Shirley J. Christian said she agreed Brian Myers, 27, deserved the six-year sentence prosecutors were recommending on charges of kidnapping, felonious assault and child endangering even though he was remorseful because of the nature of his crimes.

“I can’t overlook the violent nature of the crimes you committed,” Judge Christian said.

Myers pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 16 for the Sept. 28, 2013, incident at his Parkway Street home in Struthers.

Police said Myers was enraged after he claimed his wife had filled out a tax form the wrong way, and he picked up a small dog and threw it across the room. After his wife yelled at him for throwing the dog, police said he got a rifle and shotgun from another room, forced his wife to get on her knees and hit her with the weapons and threatened to kill her.

He used the rifle to fire several shots near her head. Behind his wife their 10-month-old child was sleeping in a crib but the baby was not harmed.

Read more on the case in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.