Jacobs sentenced to 22 years in prison WATCH THE VIDEO

A 65-year-old Hillsboro man was sentenced to 22 year in prison Friday following his conviction this week in Highland County Common Pleas Court on charges of felonious assault and aggravated burglary. 

Jimmie Jacobs appeared in court Friday with his attorney Jim Boulger. On Thursday, a jury deliberated for just over five hours before convicting Jacobs of shooting Jonathan Harris on Dec. 15, 2010, causing Harris to sustain  severe injuries, including the loss of one of his eyes. 

The jury found him not guilty of attempted murder. 

During the sentencing hearing Friday, Harris addressed the court, and Jacobs. 

"You thought you were going to get away with murder," Harris said. "But you didn't. Everything you've done since the beginning of the trial is a lie. It has been really tough, surviving through all this. But now I will recover. And you will go to prison. You tried to take my life. But I pulled through. You tried to take life, but as God would see it, I will take this horrible crime that you have committed, and with the help of God, turn this into a blessing. I hope in the end that God forgives you." 

Jacobs turned to face Harris as he addressed the court, and then turned his head away and stared straight ahead. 

"Despite your lack of remorse, it takes a real man to admit fault when he has done wrong, and to stand up and apologize," Harris said. "But I understand that you're a coward."

Harris asked Coss to grant the state's request for 22 years, saying that the incident had impacted his entire life. Due to surgeries, doctor appointments and court dates, Harris said that he has not been able to work since he was shot.  

Friends of Harris also spoke during sentencing, including Brian Holbrook, who had testified on behalf of the state, and was the first person to reach Harris after he had been shot. Holbrook said that the day before the shooting his children had been in the building "where the bullets flew." He said that he had to quit his job because he couldn't go back to work there, and the incident had left his children terrified. 

Jacobs chose not to make a statement to the court. 

Defense attorney Jim Boulger and Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins argued sentencing before Coss regarding whether or not statutes provided that a defendant could be sentenced on both the charges of aggravated burglary and felonious assault, or if they merged, meaning a defendant could only be sentenced on one of the charges. Coss ruled that they were not exclusive and Jacobs could be sentenced on both charges. However, Coss said that type of ruling on sentencing "had not been applied very much yet" and that it "would probably be an issue on appeal." 

As Coss proceeded with sentencing he told Jacobs, "You're saying that pretty much everyone but you is lying in the case," including the police officer who investigated it. Coss said that Jacobs was obviously intelligent due to his careful word choices when answering questions on the stand. 

Coss said that Jacobs's version of how the shooting incident occurred, with the defendant striking Harris with a cane and knocking a gun out of his hand, "seems highly improbable to the court, given your physical condition. Your own admission is that you went over there to be very intimidating because, according to you, he threatened your wife. It's hard for me to believe - and it was hard for the jury to believe and that's why they found you guilty - that you would go there ... without a weapon. It also makes no sense to me why anyone would go over there anyway to make that kind of threat. That is the kind of behavior we hear from teenagers or young men trying to prove their manhood, not a 65-year-old man who should have had more experience and better judgment. Certainly it calls into question your entire credibility." 

The court said that the most disturbing part of the case was how Jacobs behaved after the shooting. 

"If it were an accident ... Even though you were angry at the time, just to get up and walk away, and leave somebody laying there, bleeding to death ... Had there not been (another person on the premises) he most likely would have bled to death," Coss said. "You just walked away and went back home. That doesn't sound to me, in the ordinary course of events, like something someone would do who was just involved in an accident.You didn't call police. All those things speak volumes. They speak to the fact that this was an intentional criminal act, and you attempted to avoid responsibility." 

Coss  sentenced Jacobs to eight years in prison on the felonious assault charge, and three years on the gun specification. Jacobs was sentenced to eight years on the aggravated burglary charge, and three years on that gun specification, all to be served consecutively, for a total of 22 years in prison. He ordered that Jacobs report to the Highland County Justice Center on Sept. 6 to be be conveyed to the Ohio Department of Corrections. 

Coss said that it was against his normal procedure to not order a sentence to begin immediately, but he said that he did it to spare costs to the county. Coss said that since it was a holiday weekend, and a Friday, Jacobs would have to be held at the Justice Center until at least Tuesday. Since he is in poor health, he said the county would be responsible for the costs should Jacobs have to spend the weekend in the hospital. 

Noting the state of the defendant's health, Coss said, "I don't think you're going to be able to run too far, and it would be pretty easy to follow you." 

The judge also reminded Jacobs that he would face additional felony charges should he not appear Tuesday.

Collins said that she was happy with the court's decision to sentence Jacobs to 22 years. 

Chief Nick Thompson of the Hillsboro Police Department said, "I think the (HPD) staff did a very good job in preparing the case and a very good job in presenting the case. We're very satisfied with 22 years."

Following the hearing, Harris spoke to The Highland County Press, saying that after the defense had alleged he had a history with drugs, and he wanted to make a personal statement that was not true.

"I want to clear my name of the previous allegations that this was a drug deal gone bad," Harris said. "I want everyone to know that it had nothing to do with that."

Harris said that as he testified in front of the jury, when he saw crime scene photos and photos of himself from when he was in the hospital, "I felt like I was right back there, laying on the floor with a gun to my head."

While it was difficult to keep his composure, he said, he fully credits the support of his family and friends, and the Highland County Victim/Witness Program. 

"I am extremely happy with 22 years," Harris said. "Barb (Shoemaker), Valarie (Watson) and Teresa (Wisecup) (of the victim/witness program) were wonderful and (prosecutor) Anneka (Collins) was absolutely fantastic. She couldn't have done a better job. Without them, I could not have gotten through this."

Prior to the sentencing hearing, the court met on a civil suit that Harris has filed against Jacobs. Harris testified that his medical bills, due to the injuries caused by Jacobs, total more than $200,000. Friday, the court considered a motion for attachment regarding property owned by Jacobs and his ex-wife, Teresa Jacobs. Harris has also included a filing alleging a fraudulent transfer, as the property had been jointly owned by Jimmie and Teresa Jacobs. Eight days after the shooting, the property was transferred into her name. The court granted the motion for attachment, so that the property may not be transferred to another person while the court case is pending.