An Akron man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of felonious assault on the second day of his Summit County trial for an August attack on his girlfriend.
Kevin D. Harrison, 35, will be sentenced Jan. 3 by Common Pleas Judge Amy Corrigall Jones following a review of a presentence investigation.
He faces a potential prison sentence of two to eight years for the second-degree felony.
His girlfriend, a 33-year-old Peninsula woman, initially informed police she did not recognize her attacker but doubted it was Harrison.
In jury selection Monday morning, defense attorney Bill Mooney told the jury pool that the victim was “basically saying it wasn’t the defendant. She’s very adamant about that,” he said.
When testimony began, however, prosecutors produced an eyewitness to the Aug. 28 attack.
Derek Knotek, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who lives in the same neighborhood as the victim, testified that he saw the man who pulled her by the hair from her car and dragged her through the front yard. He called the attack “one of the most heinous acts of violence I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Knotek identified Harrison, sitting at the defense table, as the assailant.
Under cross-examination, Knotek said he was confident in his identification.
“Barring the possibility that he has a twin brother, I would say [I am] very confident,” he told the court.
Earlier, Knotek testified he was a Marine sniper scout with 20/13 vision.
Harrison pleaded guilty to the crime Tuesday morning before trial proceedings began. A misdemeanor count of obstructing official business was dismissed as part of his deal.
The victim, who suffered fractured ribs and underwent surgery for numerous facial fractures, declined to comment on the plea.
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or at emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.