A 40-year-old man was sentenced to about four years in prison on Thursday morning for throwing a hammer at a child last year as the boy's father stopped to help the man.
Cole L. Healy pleaded guilty in January to one count of second-degree assault on a child.
Spokane County sheriff's deputies on May 23 had been called to a report of a man blocking a nearby road while swinging a hammer and trying to light his vehicle on fire at about 3:30 p.m. They found Healy in the middle of the road on Zuni Drive, south of Spokane Valley, carrying what appeared to be homemade incendiary device.
Prior to law enforcement's arrival, a man tried to help Healy, thinking his vehicle had broken down. However, Healy was confrontational and threw a hammer through the man's open passenger window, striking his 8-year-old son in the forehead. The boy's face rapidly started to swell and his father drove him to the hospital. The boy recovered from the blow.
"I deserve to go to prison," Healy told Judge Rachelle Anderson's courtroom. "Just please don't throw me in there for 10 years."
Judge Anderson said it seemed like Healy recognized the seriousness of his actions.
Healy will get credit for time served, but will be placed in community custody for 18 months after his release.
Defense attorney Melissa Haney said her client suffers from mental health and substance abuse issues.
"I have not seen someone feel so bad about something they've done in a long time," she said. "I think he's going to be looking at his life a lot more clearly so something like this does not happen again. He is taking accountability."
