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Woman pleads to felonious assault for stabbing
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge Lou D’Apolito said Thursday he has no idea what he will do with the woman who just pleaded guilty to stabbing her boyfriend after she kicked him out. He returned to get some chicken wings he’d left behind.
Judge D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court told Cynthia Bland, 60, of Miller Street, she is lucky the wound she inflicted was not fatal.
“Oh, God,” Bland gasped.
“I’d have to send you to the penitentiary for life,” Judge D’Apolito said.
Bland pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony charge of felonious assault for the April 26 stabbing of the man in her home. Reports said the stabbing came during a night of heavy drinking at the home. She asked her boyfriend to get her more alcohol, and he refused because he thought she’d had enough, reports said.
Reports said the man then called his niece for a ride, and when Bland heard a woman’s voice over the phone she became enraged and pushed the boyfriend out the door. He then came back inside to get the chicken wings, and that’s when he was stabbed.
Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Paris recommended a sentence of probation with substance abuse and anger management counseling.
Judge D’Apolito said he would not guarantee what sentence he would give Bland or where she would serve it. He said everything was on the table, including prison or county jail time. The maximum sentence for the charge is eight years.
Judge D’Apolito asked Bland about her drinking problem. She said she had imbibed for several years and also smoked crack cocaine, but she conquered both addictions and was sober for 10 years. Bland said five years ago she had open heart surgery and got addicted to painkillers, and that is when she started drinking again.
Before her sentencing, Bland will be released from the jail and placed in Community Corrections Association as soon as a bed is available for her. She asked to be released on house arrest until then, saying she could pay for it, but Judge D’Apolito refused.