An Athens man charged with threatening his ex-girlfriend’s life pleaded guilty Thursday and could spend up to 18 months in prison.
Ben C. Blackburn, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony, as part of an agreement with the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office.
His suggested sentence is 12 months in prison, which will run consecutive to the sentence he is serving for a felony case from 2006, according to the agreement.
The charges stemmed from an incident April 4, when Blackburn tried to run his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend off the road multiple times as she was driving to her job at Taco Bell, 978 E. State St., according to the court documents.
After the two arrived at the restaurant, Blackburn forcibly removed the victim from her car and then threatened to kill her and burn her house down, according to court documents.
Blackburn was ordered out of the parking lot by two male employees and was then arrested by deputies with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office.
Blackburn could spend a maximum of 18 months in prison and pay a maximum fine of $5,000, of which none is mandatory.
ml147009@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCity
