Cape man sentenced to 4 years for assault at Dairy Queen

The 18-year-old victim of an Oct. 12 assault at the Dairy Queen where she worked said the crime has left her fearful and insecure.

"I have heard that once you are the victim of a crime, that nothing in your world is ever the same," she said Monday at her attacker's sentence hearing in Cape Girardeau court.

"I didn't realize how true that was until the victim became me."

Circuit Judge William Syler Monday sentenced her 19-year-old attacker, Tyrice L. Fisher, of 611 Koch St., to four years at the Department of Corrections.

Fisher had pleaded guilty to the charge of felony second-degree assault Jan. 16, facing up to seven years imprisonment for his crime.

Cape Girardeau prosecutor Morley Swingle said Fisher apologized in court for the assault.

According to the probable-cause statement, Fisher entered the Dairy Queen restaurant, 31 S. Kingshighway, and was asked by the victim several times if he could be helped.

Witnesses reported that Fisher was asked to leave several times if he wasn't going to order and that Fisher and the victim got into a verbal argument.

The report continued that Fisher pushed the victim and then punched her in the left side of her face, causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head on the counter of the restaurant.

She was transported to Saint Francis Medical Center where it was reported she had sustained a fracture to the left side of her face.

In her statement Monday, the victim said she was so insecure and embarrassed by what had happened that she couldn't go to school for days.

"My personality has changed, and I have lost the ability to trust people," she said.

She used to be excited about school and school functions and lead the life of a typical teen, talking with friends on the phone and going to ball games. She had worked at the Dairy Queen about two years.

"Now I avoid my friends," she said. "I loved my job and looked forward to going to work. Now, all I want to do is bury my head in my sheets and sleep my day away."

She said when she does make it out of bed, she worries about what might happen and added she believes she will spend the rest of her life as a victim of an unprovoked attack.

When asked what she thought a fair sentence for Fisher would be, she said she didn't know. She asked that the court consider her loss of safety and security when deciding on Fisher's sentence.

"When I get ready for the day and look in the mirror, I see my face and everything that happened is replayed in my mind," she said. "And the only face I see is the face of the guy who hit me."

Swingle said he thought the opportunity for victims to speak out in court is beneficial to the victim.

"I do think one of the number one reasons is it helps give some closure to the incident," Swingle said.

carel@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127