A Paterson man was sentenced today to 18 months in jail for shooting another man on a crime ridden street last year. Eli Haynes had been charged originally with attempted murder after he shot Fahmere Lesane many times with a handgun on 12th Avenue on April 1, 2014. Haynes decided to plead guilty to a crime of aggravated assault after Fahmere Lesane decided not to cooperate with prosecutors. Judge Joseph A. Portelli said that he got a break because the victim did not want to get involved with anyone in the Passaic County Prosecutors office. Judge Joseph A. Portelli added We have a real problem with this stuff and you re part of it and you can t be anymore. Eli Haynes told the judge that he will not go near the crime ridden 12th street anymore.
Under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1b which is Aggravated Assault. It includes the attempt to cause serious bodily harm to another person, and having a careless disregard for human life. Attempting to cause harm or knowingly harming a person with a deadly weapon is aggravated assault. Simply pointing a gun at an individual whether or not the gun is loaded is also under this statute. Also committing this act against a police officer or firefighter will upgrade the charges The charges range from 2nd degree to 4th degree depending on the situation. In this case it is a crime of the 4th degree. A person found guilty of a crime of the 4th degree is looking at up to 18 months in New Jersey State Prison.
More information on this case can be found here
