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Barry Cooper, of Middletown, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Nov. 21, in connection with Sept. 21, slashing of a man outside of a bar in the Town of Wallkill, said the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
At the time Cooper pleaded guilty, he admitted having slashed the victim in the face with a sharp-edged object at about 3:30 a.m., outside a closed bar on Route 211, the DA's Office said.
Prosecutors argued that the victim had been an innocent bystander who had attempted to intervene and diffuse an argument between the DJ that had just left the bar and Cooper and others who were with Cooper.
The victim suffered serious injuries to his face as the result of the slashing, the DA's Office said.
The District Attorney's Office will recommend that Cooper be sentenced to nine years in state prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 11.
“It is both tragic and ironic that this victim, who was altruistically attempting to prevent violence, must now carry the marks of this defendant’s cowardly and senseless attack on his face,” said District Attorney David Hoovler. “A lengthy state prison sentence is deserved here and hopefully will deter others who might be tempted to use weapons or violence to settle disputes.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Purcell.
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