HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-10-16 Police Guilty verdict in December 2011 beating of Port Townsend man PORT TOWNSEND POLICE DEPARTMENT
1925 Blaine Street Suite 100
Port Townsend WA 98368
Phone: (360)385-2322
Fax: (360)379-4438
Conner Daily, Chief of Police
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Contact: Officer Luke Bogues 4747
Phone: (360) 531-2836
Email: Ibogues @cityofpt.us
Incident No.: 11-5162
Guilty verdict in December 2011 beating of Port Townsend man
A 28-year-old Port Orchard man faces up to 10 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting three people
Uptown late last year.
Kaleb R. Mayo was sought by police following the December assault in the 500 block of Harrison Street. While
on the run from the charges he became the target of a social media manhunt launched by concerned citizens
before he was arrested in April.
On Tuesday,jurors found Mayo guilty of one count of Aggravated Assault in the Second Degree and two
counts of Assault in the Fourth Degree. Jefferson County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Ashcraft said the aggravated
enhancement because of the severe injuries allows a sentence of up 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled
for Friday morning in Jefferson County Superior Court before Judge Craddock Verser.
Deputy Prosecutor Ashcraft said the standard sentencing range for the felony second-degree assault charge is
33-43 months, but he will ask for the maximum 10 years because of the severity of the crime. The sentences for
the misdemeanor fourth-degree assault charges will run concurrently. Following release from prison Mayo will
be under Department of Corrections supervision for 18 months.
Deputy Prosecutor Ashcraft presented a case to the jury during the seven-day trial that painted a picture of the
brothers meeting the four victims at a downtown bar. They continuing to drink alcohol at the house on Harrison
Street before the situation got out of hand and tempers flared. The group of people started fighting and Mayo
was determined to finish the fight.
"It was a situation that got out of control, and he took it way too far," Ashcraft said Tuesday.
The assault occurred just after 3:30 a.m. on December 9, 2011. Officers of the Port Townsend Police
Department were dispatched to Harrison Street and found a male badly beaten lying in the road. Three other
people at a nearby residence also reported being assaulted by two men who ran away from the area prior to
police arrival.
Mayo and his younger brother were identified by police as suspects in the case. The brother was taken into
custody pursuant to a Superior Court arrest warrant later that day, but Mayo left the area. Cell phone records
indicated he fled to Pierce County and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The assault victim found lying in the road, 39-year-old Lenard Marion, suffered a broken nose and broken right
eye socket. After initial medical treatment at a local hospital he was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical
Center in Seattle for more extensive care.
Of the three other people who reported being assaulted by Mayo, the jury Tuesday found Mayo guilty of
assaulting two of those people, leading to the two fourth-degree assault charges. He was found not guilty of
assaulting the third.
Marion is a musician known for playing in local bars with his band. Upon learning that Mayo fled the area, fans
of Marion took to the site Facebook.com and posted pictures of the musician's injuries asking for information.
They also posted photos of Mayo seeking information leading to his arrest.
Despite evading police after the assault, Mayo answered phone calls from police and members of the press.
Both he and his younger brother maintained their innocence, stating they acted in self-defense.
Mayo was arrested in April of this year when he unexpectedly arrived at a house as Port Townsend Police
officers and Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies were present attempting to serve a warrant unrelated to the
assault. Mayo later pled guilty to obstructing law enforcement officers and reckless endangerment for nearly
running over officers with a car as he tried to get away.
Deputy Prosecutor Ashcraft said the second-degree assault conviction stemming from the beating of Marion is
now Mayo's "second strike,"referring to the state's three strikes law leading to tough prison time for violent
felonies.
According to Ashcraft, Mayo's criminal history over the past six years includes convictions for three felony
assaults, two misdemeanor assaults and possession of a stolen firearm. One of the felony assaults includes a
2009 third-degree assault conviction for choking another inmate while incarcerated at the Jefferson County jail
in Port Hadlock, Ashcraft said.
The court case against the younger brother, 24-year-old Isaac C. Mayo of Port Townsend, is still pending.
Ashcraft said he is still reviewing the case determining the extent of Isaac's involvement. He is presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
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