John Hughes, 44, was sentenced to seven years in prison for second-degree assault, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Hughes was standing at the intersection of Grand Street and Madison Avenue when he picked up the board from a dumpster and began swinging it at a 32-year-old male passerby, investigators said.
The victim suffered wounds to his ribs and head, including a gash that required four staples to close in his hospital visit, authorities said.
Video surveillance captured the attack, and six witnesses testified against Hughes at trial in January, prosecutors said. A jury took only 17 minutes to convict him.
Hughes testified in his own defense, claiming he thought the victim was working with the police and that he told him to leave before striking him with the board, according to the district attorney’s office. He will be on parole for five years after his release.
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