Assault alleged on homeless man
July 3, 2008 · Updated 4:32 PM
Two 21-year-old Oak Harbor men are each facing a felony charge for assaulting a homeless man for no reason, as one told police, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged Mark Lenocker and Michael Ewing in Island County Superior Court Aug. 26 with second-degree assault. If convicted, they would each face three to nine months in jail under the standard sentencing range.
Lenocker pleaded not guilty Sept. 9.
Oak Harbor Police Officer Spencer Magruder wrote in his report on the May 17 incident that the 47-year-old victim had a seizure outside of Kmart after being assaulted.
The man claimed that two men, later identified as Lenocker and Ewing, drove up to him and offered him a sandwich. He said the men continued to harass him and drive back and forth in front of him.
The man said he walked away and doesnt remember being hit.
Lenocker allegedly confessed to hitting the man in the head, Magruder wrote.
The man fell forward into his shopping cart and then fell onto the concrete. He then appeared to have a seizure.
Magruder wrote that the man had a softball-sized lump and a gash on his head. A doctor closed the wound with six staples.
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