The judge will not let the woman ‘walk’ in Struthers Drive-by | News, sports, jobs

Jungown-Rebecca Wetherill, 24, was sentenced to six months in the Mahoning County prison and three years of probation on Tuesday after declaring himself guilty before two low-level serious crimes in an episode of December 30, 2023 in Struthers.

Wetherill, from Boardman, declared himself guilty of aggravated assault and tried to download a firearm in or near a place forbidden for being the driver of the car when Austin W. Beatty, 25, fired a car weapon that hit a car at the entrance of a house in the ninth street in Struthers.

The prosecutors recommended that Weatherill obtain a year in prison, but the judge of the Common Pleas Court of Mahoning County, Anthony D’Amolito, said: “I don’t think I should go to prison.” On the other hand, “I can’t let her walk,” he said.

Wetherill’s lawyer, Mark Carfolo, told D’Amolito that Wetherill didn’t know when he took a walk to Beatty that day he was going to spend his house in a certain house and start shooting.

Wetherill, Beatty and two other people lived in a house “as friends” at that time, and Beatty had a problem with a man, Carfolo said.

According to a Struthers police report, the officers found six housings of shells spent on the street and then determined that a vehicle was hit. The main victim told the Police that he believed that Beatty, his girlfriend’s ex -boyfriend, was responsible. The man said that Beatty had attacked the woman earlier in the day and showed police text messages in which Beatty threatened to shoot her house, according to the police.

The man also showed images of the police security chamber of a car that is believed to belong to Beatty or a friend of his. The report says that he showed the passenger shooting at the house and the car before turning a neighbor’s entrance and fleeing the scene.

Prosecutors have said that Wetherill was Beatty complicit in the incident.

D’Apolito sentenced to Beatty five to seven years in prison on January 3 after Beatty declared himself guilty of criminal assault and unloading a firearm in or almost prohibited facilities.

Carfolo said Beatty had asked Wetherill to take a walk, what he frequently did.

“He shot several shots,” said the victim’s car, Carfolo said. “Thank God that he did not hit the victim.”

Carfolo said that the reason why Wetherill didn’t tell the police what he knew was that Wetherill was “intimidated by Mr. Beatty” because he continued to live in the same house with him, and Beatty told him not to tell the police. Beatty’s family also pressed Wetherill, Carfolo said. “She is a girl, 23, 24 at that time,” added Carfolo.

The assistant prosecutor of Mahoning County, Katherine Jones, confirmed that Wetherill had no previous criminal record. “Give him the opportunity to advance in life,” Carfolo said.

The judge asked Wetherill if it is correct that Wetherill did not ask any questions when Beatty asked him to lead him somewhere that day and she agreed that that was true because he did not know very well the instructions.

“It was easier for him to tell me,” he said.

Wetherill said he didn’t see the victim outside the house when they approached the house, but Jones clarified that the victim was outside.

Wetherill said Beatty shot the gun three or four times towards an entrance path. “I asked ‘what just happened? Why did you do that?'” He told the judge. Beatty did not respond. She left Beatty in one of a friend’s houses, she said.

The judge said it was difficult for him to believe that Wetherill lived with Beatty and did not know about this dispute between Beatty and the other man and never asked Beatty where they were going that day.

“I understand what you are saying, your honor, but I really didn’t know what was going to happen that day,” he said.

She never cooperated with the police at any time, confirmed Carfolo and Jones when the judge asked. She was still afraid of reprisals if she went to the police, Carfolo said.