Guilty plea results in 44-day jail recommendation

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Charles City man has pleaded guilty to various charges in a plea deal that will recommend he spend 44 days in jail.

Sammie Ray Gray Jr., age 36, was charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injuries, both serious misdemeanors; harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor; and second degree criminal mischief, a Class D felony.

As part of the agreement to plead guilty to the charges, the Floyd County Attorney’s Office will recommend that Gray be sentenced to one year in jail with all but 30 days suspended for the first count of assault, and 14 days in jail for the second count, for a total of 44 days in jail, plus fines totaling $630 plus surcharges and fees, one year of probation and a no-contact order with the victims.

The recommended sentence for the harassment plea will be two years in prison, suspended; $625 fine and surcharge, suspended; two years probation and other fees.

The recommended sentence for the criminal mischief plea will be five years in prison, suspended; $750 fine plus surcharge, suspended; three to five years probation; and other fees.

Restitution of $500 to one of the victims is requested, and the agreement would also dismiss several violations of a no-contact order with a victim.

According to court documents, on April 20 Gray “assaulted the victim … by grabbing her by the throat and biting her in the face. The defendant also struck her multiple times in the face with his fist and scratched her face with his fingernails. The victim had pain in her face with minor scratches along with bruising and swelling.”

Gray was also charged with a second count of assault causing bodily injury for allegedly assaulting another woman on April 20 “by tackling her and striking her multiple times in the head with his fist.”

He was charged with second-degree criminal mischief, a Class D felony, for allegedly causing about $1,200 to the alleged victim’s home by breaking several windows.

And he was charged with harassment in the first degree, an aggravated misdemeanor, for allegedly having called the first victim while he was in the booking room to the jail “and threatened to kill her.”

Gray had pleaded guilty in December to assaulting the same person he allegedly assaulted again in April and causing property damage then, too.

He had pleaded guilty to assault with intent to cause serious injury, an aggravated misdemeanor, and to criminal mischief in the third degree, an aggravated misdemeanor.

He was sentenced to a total of up to two years in prison, with all but two days suspended, and placed on one-year probation.

In January, the Iowa Department of Corrections reported that Gray had failed to report for probation and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on the probation violation warrant at the same time he was arrested for the alleged April 20 assaults.

The contempt charge for allegedly violating that probation was also dismissed.