Man gets prison in felony officer assault case

SANDUSKY — A Sandusky man was recently sentenced for attempting to assault a police officer last year. At a court hearing on Aug. 28, Demetrius Koonce, 44, 700 block Wayne St., was on one lesser amended count of attempted assault, a fifth-degree felony; one count of carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony; and one count of having weapons while under disability, a third-degree felony. Koonce previously pleaded guilty to the three charges on June 30 in exchange for his fourth-degree felony assault charge to be reduced to attempted assault and for one additional count of having weapons while under disability, a third-degree felony to be dismissed. Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Roger Binette sentenced Koonce to serve four years and 11 months in prison, according to court records. Koonce additionally received a credit for serving approximately two-and-a-half months in jail and will be placed on a mandatory term of up to two years post-release control, court records state. Background On Nov. 26, Sandusky police officers responded to a call at about 12:10 a.m. about a report of an intoxicated man with a firearm attempting to break into a home, according to a Sandusky police report. Once officers arrived, they observed a man at the end of the house's driveway. One officer asked the man, who they eventually identified as Koonce, to stop so they could discuss what had happened at the residence and asked if he had a gun, to which he allegedly responded, "No," and that he was just leaving, the report states. After giving multiple commands to stop, which he allegedly did not heed, one of the officers grabbed Koonce by his wrists to pat him down. He broke free from the officer's grip and allegedly pushed the officer before running up the driveway, the report states. The officer chased Koonce and caught up as he attempted to jump over a fence. Additional officers helped in detaining him before one of them seized a gun from Koonce's waistband before transporting him to the Erie County Jail, the report states. Officers were later made aware that Koonce was previously convicted on charges including attempted murder, vandalism, assault, felonious assault, attempted theft, possession of drugs and aggravated burglary, according to the report. Due to these prior convictions, Koonce is prohibited from having a firearm. Officers found that the gun that was in his possession was reported stolen from Akron, the report states. New charges Koonce is also facing new charges for allegedly severely assaulting a man in Sandusky. Just before midnight on Aug. 25, officers were alerted by local hospital officials that they needed help identifying a patient, according to Sandusky police Chief Jared Oliver. Police were able to identify him as a 49-year-old Sandusky man. He had been beaten severely and was flown by medical helicopter to a Cleveland hospital. As of late Tuesday, he is still receiving treatment there. Investigators learned EMS picked up the man from a home in the 700 block of W. Park St. People in the home reported that the man fell and hit his head. Detectives determined the man was the victim of an assault and developed a suspect. Koonce was charged with a second-degree felony count of felonious assault. He was assigned a $20,000 bond, however, even if he posted that, he would not be released as he is scheduled to be transported to the inmate reception center in Orient, Ohio, for the start of his prison sentence in his previous case.