Michael William Milner
A Criminal Court jury found 27-year-old Michael William Milner guilty of reckless endangerment in an attack on a cancer patient at an East Ridge motel on July 12, 2016.
Milner had been charged with aggravated assault, which would have carried a possible prison sentence of 6-10 years because he was a Range II offender due to his prior record, prosecutor Bates Bryan said.
The reckless endangerment count is a misdemeanor. Judge Tom Greenholtz sentenced Milner to 11 months and 29 days - the maximum.
He has built his time on that sentence after serving 11 months in the workhouse, the prosecutor said.
After defense motions by Coty Wamp of the Public Defender's Office, it was ruled that the jury would not be told about the cancer treatments or the fact that a concrete block had been thrown through the victim's motel room window - since it could not be proven who did it.
The victim said he formerly lived in Ooltewah, but had moved to Jackson, Ga. Outside the presence of the jury, he said he was staying at the Ringgold Road motel to be near the doctor who was treating him for cancer.
He said he first encountered Milner outside the motel when he asked him for money. He said he told Milner he did not have any money for him.
The victim said he made a trip to Walmart and, upon his return, found his room in disarray (from the block having been thrown through his window).
He said he was at the front desk asking for another room when Milner came up from behind and knocked him to the floor. He said Milner began kicking and stomping him as well as choking him.
The witness said he went in and out of consciousness until two "Good Samaritans" came in and got Milner off him.
The older, slightly built man said the port for his cancer radiation was torn out and he had to have a $5,000 operation to repair it.
He said he suffered a number of other bruises and injuries and his glasses were broken.
He said it appeared that Milner was high on drugs.