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Dellick gets probation
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John Dellick, left, speaks during his sentencing hearing Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court as his attorney, Sam Amendolara, looks on.
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
John Dellick apologized for the harm and shame he’s caused friends and family just before he was sentenced to 18 months’ probation for two separate incidents in 2013.
Dellick, the son of Judge Theresa Dellick of Mahoning County Juvenile Court, read in a sometimes shaky voice from a prepared statement Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. He said he has grappled with medical and emotional issues for years and now knows what he has to do to get better and stay out of trouble.
“I apologize, and I’m sorry for the mistakes I’ve made,” he said to Visiting Judge Michael Nunner. “I’m sorry to everyone for the hurt and embarrassment I’ve caused.”
Dellick pleaded guilty Dec. 8 to a charge of aggravated assault, a fourth- degree felony, for an October 2013 road-rage incident in Canfield, and a misdemeanor charge of assault for a July 2013 incident in Canfield involving a friend at a Canfield plaza.
He also was sentenced to 160 hours of community service and given 30- and 25-day jail sentences, respectively, that are suspended but could be imposed if he does not follow the terms of his probation.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, the maximum sentence for a fourth-degree felony is 18 months in prison. The maximum sentence for misdemeanor assault is six months in jail.
Seven other counts were dismissed as part of a plea deal with prosecutors from the state attorney general’s office. Micah Ault and Brian Deckert, assistant attorneys general, also agreed to stand silent during sentencing.
In the October 2013 road-rage incident in Canfield, Dellick is accused of ramming a man’s car, throwing a bottle at the man and his wife and yelling racial slurs at them.
In the July 2013 incident, Dellick is accused of picking up his friend, carrying her to his Jeep and throwing her head-first into the vehicle at a Canfield plaza where they had agreed to meet.
The cases were indicted together but were severed for trial. The plea agreement covered both cases.
Angelo Gomez, the man in the October 2013 incident, told Judge Nunner, “I’m just glad this is over, and I hope the gentleman [Dellick] gets the psychological help he needs in the future, and I know my wife is happy.”
Dellick was found not guilty in Youngstown Municipal Court last year of two counts of aggravated menacing for an incident with the same friend in the July 2013 case at Youngstown State University in November 2013. After Dellick was arrested in the YSU case, he spent two days in the county jail before a $20,000 bond was posted and he was released.
Dellick’s attorney, Sam Amendolara, told Judge Nunner his client has had emotional and medical problems for years and has been undergoing treatment since late 2013.
He also said Dellick has stayed out of trouble since the YSU incident and that he is taking classes now and wants to go back to college.
“Sometimes, some bad situations lead to some good results, and we hope that’s what happens here,” Amendolara said. “John ... looks forward to moving on with his life.”
Dellick said he hopes to learn from his mistakes and help others.
“I’m looking to give back,” Dellick said. ”I’m very sorry, and I’m looking to make myself a better person.”
Judge Nunner said a pre-sentence investigation noted Dellick is a very low risk for re-offending. He commended the Gomez family for its involvement in the case and also Dellick’s family with helping him to try to get better.
He also said Dellick demonstrated while awaiting the outcome of his case that he can obey the law, and he said he already has served a lengthy house arrest in both his common pleas and municipal court cases.