7 years in prison for the man who opened fire on the car

Nov. 22 — LIMA — A Lima man pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced to at least seven years in prison in Allen County Common Pleas Court after firing a gun into a car with his young son inside.

James Martin, 26, was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, each second-degree felonies with a three-year firearm specification. The indictment dismissed one count of aggravated assault and all firearm specifications.

Martin also agreed not to seek judicial release and was forced to pay the car’s owner, Christina Larson, $1,000 in restitution, the deductible she paid to repair the car for damage caused by the gunshots.

Assistant Public Defender Megan McLean said Martin requested release before sentencing to get his affairs in order and to get a chance to see his son. A Crime Victims Services representative said the two victims there opposed release because they feared for their safety, so Judge Terri Kohlrieser denied the request and began sentencing.

McLean said Martin had been in and out of the foster care system since he was 3 years old. While her son was being taken away in the car, he said he had memories of being taken away from his home as a child. He said he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and reactive attachment disorder while in the foster care system.

Martin said he never wanted to harm the victims and was upset that his son’s mother told him she would never see her son again after an argument.

Martin became emotional when he said Larson forgave him.

“Before you guys shot at my car, I fought cancer twice just out of fear that you were going to take my life, and I still live in fear that you were going to take my life,” Larson said.

“As a former child of the system myself, this is not a life for a child,” Kohlrieser said. “You’re 26, you have your own child; although that explains a lot of the health issues, mental health issues you have, you have to find a way to deal with that and be productive.”

Kohlrieser continued: “As a child you can’t control what others do or don’t do to you, but you can control the decisions you make now.”

The incident occurred around 12:45 on the morning of June 12. Court documents say police say Martin fired into a vehicle on East Market Street with his son inside after an argument with his girlfriend.

Three bullets hit the rear passenger side of the car, and one bullet hit the rear bumper. No one was injured.

Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.

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