2 days ago
Ohio man gets 6 ½ years for confrontation with cops at Highland Kohl's
An Ohio man was sentenced to 6 ½ years Thursday for a confrontation with the cops at the Highland Kohl's.
Jomo Wilson, 57, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty May 16 to aggravated battery. He was originally charged with attempted murder — when he tried to back up to leave, he dragged a police officer with him. Another officer shot into the car, wounding Wilson in his arm and hand.
The case was too 'heavily charged' — or overcharged — leading to the plea deal, his defense lawyer John Cantrell said. He later added that police technically couldn't prove Wilson shoplifted that day, just that they suspected he had previously.
Deputy Prosecutor Keith Anderson asked a judge to accept the plea.
Wilson apologized, saying the situation quickly 'got out of hand' while noting, 'I also got hurt.'
'At some point, you are going to die in prison,' Judge Salvador Vasquez told Wilson. 'Stop screwing your life up.'
Highland Police arrived at Kohl's, in the Highland Grove shopping center, at 2:17 p.m. Feb. 17, 2023. The store's Loss Prevention Officer called the police after he spotted Wilson leaving with an unpaid cart. Wilson had shoplifted there at least five times before, the man told police.
As the police ordered him to stop, Wilson jumped in the driver's seat of a rental car. When they tried to arrest Wilson, he put the 2022 silver Ford Escape in reverse, dragging Cpl. Michael Yonkman, which pinned him against another car.
Officer Kade Sapp opened fire through the windshield, hitting Wilson in the right hand, who crashed the car before he was arrested, charges show. The Loss Prevention Officer said he heard 'multiple gunshots.'
