Cape man gets 20 years for unprovoked attack that left victim with hearing loss

A Cape Girardeau man known for his violent past was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday for what prosecutors describe as a “knockout game”-style assault.

Ryan P. Harkey was sentenced to 20 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after being found guilty of first-degree assault, a Class A felony. The jury came back with a guilty plea Sept. 27. A Class A felony requires the offender to serve a minimum of 85 percent of his sentence.

Harkey committed the assault Jan. 29, 2016, on Water Street in Cape Girardeau, according to a news release issued by the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor’s office.

The victim, Ethan Flood, and a friend were walking south on Water Street, the release stated, when Harkey — who had no prior connection to Flood or his friend — approached them and struck Flood in the face with a closed fist. Harkey broke several bones in Flood’s face. Flood suffered hearing loss from the attack, according to the release. The prosecutor’s office reported earlier both men were beaten, and injuries included a skull fracture and a loss of consciousness.

The jury returned a guilty verdict against Harkey for the attack on Flood, but could not reach a unanimous verdict on the second assault charge.

Flood was “targeted and attacked without any provocation in a public location,” Prosecuting Attorney Chris K. Limbaugh stated in the release. “These facts, accompanied with his criminal history, are more than deserving of such a sentence.”

The case was tried by assistant prosecutor Frank Miller and first assistant prosecutor Angel Woodruff.

Harkey in 2012 pleaded guilty to second-degree involuntary manslaughter for his role in the stabbing death of Jerry “Buddy” Conrad. Harkey stabbed Conrad to death on the Common Pleas Courthouse lawn in Cape Girardeau after a bar fight.

The jury was made aware of Harkey’s previous conviction, but details surrounding the case were inadmissible.

bmiller@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3625

Pertinent address:

Water Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.