Thursday, April 28th, 2016
Celina man gets 15 years for firing shots at home
By Claire Giesige
CELINA - A Celina man was ordered to serve 15 years in prison after being convicted of firing shots into an area home.
Danny L. Williams, 46, Celina, was convicted Tuesday of two counts of felonious assault, both second-degree felonies with firearm specifications; discharging a firearm into a habitation or dwelling, a second-degree felony; having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony; and obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony.
The conviction came after a two-day jury trial in Mercer County Common Pleas Court. Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick D. Pepple presided over the case by assignment, according to court records.
Williams was sentenced to a total of three years in prison for the weapons specifications on three of the five charges, eight years for one count of felonious assault, eight years for discharging a firearm into a habitation, three years for possessing a weapon under disability and one year for obstructing official business.
The second felonious assault charge was merged with the discharging a firearm into a habitation charge. The eight-year terms were ordered to be served concurrently to each other and consecutively to the rest of the sentences for a total of 15 years in prison.
The charges are related to an Oct. 26, 2014, incident in which shots were fired into a Celina home, according to a press release issued by the Celina Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
On that date, Celina police officers were called to 417 N. Brandon Ave. where a woman resident reported hearing gunshots just before 3 a.m., reports stated at the time.
No one was injured in the home where Heather Dorsten and Robert Kennedy lived with two young children.
One bullet reportedly had penetrated the wall and landed about two feet from Kennedy's head as he was lying in bed, police chief Tom Wale said at the time.
During the investigation, officers located a pistol at the 715 Deford St., Lot 20, home of Williams and submitted it for testing to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Testing determined the bullet fragments and shell casings found at the Brandon Avenue home had come from the pistol seized at Williams' home, the press release stated.
Williams had made threats via text over an alleged $20 debt, Wale said. Officers believe the debt may have been the motive for the incident.
Williams was initially arrested on an aggravated menacing charge, a first-degree misdemeanor, and resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor. He was indicted Nov. 20 on the more serious charges and pleaded not guilty on Nov. 24, records show.
In the press release, the Celina Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office personnel thanked the Mercer County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation "for their assistance in bringing the matter to a successful conclusion."
