Mike Sweat, the father of a Weirton man shot in the back of the head during a July 29, 2006, robbery on South Court Alley, attacked the defendant during a sentencing hearing in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court on Monday.
Sweat was approaching the witness stand to give the court a victim impact statement when he made a comment about showing Antonio Clifford, 20, of Cincinnati a picture of the deceased. Sweat jumped across the defense table and tried to punch and choke Clifford.
Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla, who was sitting behind Clifford, said he stood up when he saw Sweat approaching the table. The sheriff was the first person to intervene.
Clifford pleaded guilty to single counts of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence and was sentenced to life in prison, without parole eligibility until after 33 years.
Joshua Ryan Sweat, 28, of 123 Sherwood Road, Weirton, came to Steubenville on July 29, 2006, looking to buy drugs, said county Assistant Prosecutor Jane Keenan. He was taken behind a bar about a block from the Steubenville Police Department and met by several men who came from inside the bar. The men planned to rob Sweat of his drug money.
Police said Sweat was shot once in the back of the head.
Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr., who was on the bench Monday for the sentencing, gave credit to Abdalla, deputies Troy Devore and Mike Skiba and city police detectives John Sowers and Mark Taylor for their quick action.
“We can’t always prevent these things from happening but we can plan to minimize them,” Bruzzese said.
“The deputies and city police detectives all reacted well. There were no serious injuries to anyone. That is a tribute to their actions,” the judge said.
Bruzzese noted Abdalla was the first to react.
“After rolling around and struggling with the man, he had the compassion to understand his position and let him go,” Bruzzese said of Abdalla’s decision to let Mike Sweat be released from the sheriff’s department without any charges.
Ohio law requires victims of felony crimes be allowed to address the court prior to sentencing.
Bruzzese said in the past he gave victims the choice of standing behind the bar, which separates the audience from the lawyer section, speaking at the podium in front of the bar or sitting in the witness chair next to the judge.
In light of what happened Monday, Bruzzese said he will probably limit victims to speaking behind the bar.
“We need to put a distance and obstacle between the victim and defense table,” the judge said.
Common Pleas Judge David Henderson said he normally likes a victim to stay behind the bar in the audience section. He said he may permanently switch to that policy.
“It will keep (the victim and defendant) on opposite sides of the courtroom,” he said. The victim’s family almost always sits on the right side of the courtroom, the same side as the prosecutor’s table.