SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (ABP) — A former football player at Southwest Baptist University has been sentenced to 120 days in jail three months after pleading guilty to second-degree assault in a 2006 beating that left a Bolivar, Mo., man permanently disabled.
Rony Saintil
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Rony Saintil, 27, pleaded guilty Jan. 25 to second-degree assault for his part in the attack on Joshua B. Mincks outside the now-defunct nightclub in Springfield, Mo. Originally charged with a more serious crime of first-degree assault, Saintil confessed to a reduced charge as part of an agreement with the Greene County Prosecutor's Office.
The deal included suspension of a seven-year prison sentence for "shock" time — a short sentence designed to shock first-time offenders into the realities of prison in hopes they will not get into trouble again.
Assistant Prosecutor Penny Speake told the Springfield News-Leader that she argued for Saintil's shock time to be in a state prison, but Circuit Judge Tom Mountjoy decided he would serve his time in the Greene County Jail.
Speake said she thought the punishment was fitting because of mitigating circumstances surrounding what she called "a horrible crime." Speake said between 15 and 20 people were involved in the 2006 beating of 22-year-old Joshua Mincks outside of the Cowboys 2000 night club, a popular night spot for young people that has since been torn down.
Speake said it was impossible for the state to prove that Saintil caused the full extent of Mincks' injuries and that he had no criminal record at the time of his arrest. She also said he admitted striking Mincks, which merited some consideration in handing down a sentence.
Due to a large number of witnesses with conflicting stories and memories clouded by alcohol, Speake said it was also difficult for investigators to piece together exactly what transpired on the night of Oct. 13, 2006. While race was mentioned as a possible motive — Mincks is white and all of the named suspects are black — Speake said that was never confirmed.
Two other former students at the school affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention still face charges stemming from the incident. Speake said first-degree assault charges against Alvin Pope and Henry W. Patten — team members along with Saintil on the SBU Bearcats football team — have not yet gone to trial.
She attributed delays to difficulties in locating witnesses, many of whom have left school and moved away. She said even a number of university administrators have moved on in the four years since the scandal shocked the campus, in nearby Bolivar, and surrounding community.
All of the accused participants were dismissed from SBU at the time of the arrests. University officials have declined to comment on the court cases because the three men are no longer students at the school.
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Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.