Franklin man gets suspended jail sentence for shooting another man in the head

A Franklin man who shot another man in the head last month received a suspended jail sentence Friday in Franklin Municipal Court.

As part of a plea agreement, Jesse James, 39, pleaded guilty to a charge of negligent assault, a third-degree misdemeanor, down from a felonious assault charge, a second-degree felony.

Judge Ronald Ruppert sentenced James to 60 days in jail, credited him for serving seven days in jail and suspended the remaining 53 days. James was also placed on two years probation and fined $200, according to court records.

However, James will be back in court at 4 p.m. Tuesday for a pair of traffic-related charges as well as preliminary hearing on a charge of felony possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony. James is currently free on bond on those charges

He was charged with the shooting Timothy Lazier, 40, in the head during an altercation in the 900 block of Franklin Commons Court on Feb. 18. Lazier was taken to Atrium Medical Center, then transported to Miami Valley Hospital and has since been released.

Whitman said police were dispatched Feb. 20 to the 600 block of Spring Avenue on a report of an assault at that address. However, James fled the scene. After police set up a perimeter with officers from several agencies in Warren County, James was eventually found and arrested.

James has a lengthy record in Franklin Municipal Court going back to 1997. While many of the 28 contacts with the court were for traffic infractions, he has been charged with failure to pay taxes, domestic violence, assault and aggravated menacing. He also had five cases in Middletown Municipal Court from 2001-11 that included disorderly conduct, petty theft and intoxication.

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