Southeast Missouri State University student pleads guilty to assault in beating case

A Southeast Missouri State University student's jury trial was canceled Monday after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.

In exchange for Antonio Garritano's guilty plea, Cape Girardeau County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Angel Woodruff agreed to drop a felony burglary charge originally filed against the defendant.

With his plea, Garritano, 20, admitted to acting in collaboration with four other Southeast students who on Dec. 13, 2009, entered a Dunklin Street residence to beat up a fellow student, Blake Carlton.

Garritano said in open court Monday that he didn't enter the house or hit Carlton, but rode to the residence with the others knowing that the man would be assaulted.

At Garritano's preliminary hearing May 19, Carlton told a judge he had to be hospitalized because of the incident and couldn't remember how many people assaulted him. He was sleeping, he said, when the perpetrators entered the home.

Derek Gohn, Pili Showers and Jared Goodson, three codefendants in the case, were sentenced to serve time in jail in June for misdemeanor trespassing. Gohn and Showers served five days in jail and Goodson served seven days.

Brett Jones, another Southeast student charged in the case, was sentenced in May to one year of probation. Jones testified at Garritano's preliminary hearing in May, telling a judge that Garritano was inside the home and threw punches at Carlton.

Lewis ordered a sentencing assessment report be completed and Garritano to return to court for sentencing March 28.

Woodruff's recommendation is that Garritano be placed on probation and ordered to pay restitution to the victim. She didn't announce an amount in court Monday.

ehevern@semissourian.com

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