Man sentenced for kicking woman in wheelchair

June 3, 2016 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Clifford Anderson says he knows he has a drinking problem and asked municipal court Judge Elizabeth Kobly to help him.

Anderson, who was being sentenced Thursday on two counts of assault for kicking a woman who was in a wheelchair and fracturing six of her ribs, said drinking makes him do things he normally would not do.

“It’s been hard trying to do it [quit drinking] by myself,” Anderson said. “I’m not a very bad person. I just made some bad decisions because of alcohol.”

Anderson, 32, was given a six-month jail sentence with credit for 46 days served and another six months was suspended and will be imposed only if he violates terms of his two-year probation. While he is on probation, he will be assessed for alcohol counseling and will be required to attend anger-management classes. He has prior domestic-violence convictions in 2010 and 2011, said assistant city prosecutor Jeffrey Moliterno.

Anderson was arrested about 9 p.m. April 18 at a home in the 500 block of Cameron Avenue and has been in the jail since then.

But Judge Kobly said Anderson should have done these things himself years ago if he knew he had a drinking problem. She said a 32-year-old man should know he should not be drinking if he loses control.

“There’s nowhere on this building that says it’s a social-services agency,” Judge Kobly said. “Thirty-two years old and you want me to get you help? That’s not how this works.”

One of the two victims was in the courtroom, and she said from her wheelchair that she wanted Anderson to get help for his drinking and his anger. The victim said Anderson chased his girlfriend to her home and she got between Anderson and the victim with her wheelchair. She said Anderson then tried to get at his girlfriend and instead kicked her, causing the fractured ribs.

Reports said Anderson was enraged because the woman he chased would not give him a ride somewhere.

Anderson said he did not mean to hurt the victim, but Judge Kobly was not impressed.

“You decided to get drunk knowing you can’t control your actions, and you did it anyway,” Judge Kobly said. “How do you expect to not hurt someone when you kick them?”