A mother’s mission to obtain justice on behalf of her son paid off Monday when a man pleaded guilty in connection with a June assault.

Troy Hilkey, 32, admitted to second-degree assault in Island County Superior Court and was sentenced to 13 months in jail, payment of various fees and restitution to the victim to be determined at a later hearing.

Hilkey chose not to make a statement in court, but told Judge Vickie Churchill that she could use deputy sheriffs’ reports to determine a “factful basis” for the plea, which she did.

Daniel Raavel told investigators he was asleep on his sister’s couch in her Rolling Hills home when Hilkey hit him in the head with a stick or cane and then yelled at him to leave, according to the deputy’s report.

Raavel’s skull was fractured and bone shards were stuck in his sinus cavity, according to the medical records. Raavel was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to his mother, Luanne Raavel.

An Island County deputy prosecutor initially decided not to file charges because Hilkey had witnesses that provided an alibi for him. The prosecuting attorney’s office later admitted to making a mistake in not pursuing the case after Luanne Raavel expressed her outrage to the prosecutor’s office and contacted the Whidbey News-Times.

An article about the case was published this past November by the News-Times.

The case was reopened and detectives reinterviewed witnesses, and medical records were obtained which strengthened the case against Hilkey, according to Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks.

Born legally blind in the left eye, Daniel Raavel’s right eye now has blurred vision, according to his mother.

He also now bears the scar of the attack and suffers horrible headaches, she said.