A Scranton man was recently sentenced to jail and probation for a September incident in Grand Junction.

According to court documents, 22-year-old Jessie Sanders pled guilty to an amended charge of a Class D Felony for willful injury-causing bodily injury. He had a five year prison sentence suspended and was sentenced to serve 120 days in the Greene County Jail before being placed in a Residential Correctional Facility under the supervision of the Iowa Department of Correctional Services, where he is to serve an additional three years of probation. Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn says it is important to him that punishments serve as a deterrent and he does not want criminals committing assaults with impunity in the county. 

The charge stemmed from an assault in Grand Junction on September 25th. During the investigation by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Sanders walked out of a vehicle and toward the victim, and as the victim was trying to grab an object to defend himself with, Sanders punched him in the jaw, causing a fracture. 

Court documents show that the original charge was a Class C Felony for willful injury-causing serious injury, which was changed to the Class D Felony charge. As per the plea agreement, the misdemeanor charge for trespassing was dismissed.