WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A South Woodstock man who fired a shotgun at a man in Bridgewater in January was sentenced on Friday to a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years in state prison, all suspended except for three months, after pleading guilty in Windsor Superior Court.
David Barnes, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the Jan. 23 incident in Bridgewater where he showed up at the home of a man who was dating a woman that Barnes had dated.
Standing on the man’s porch, Barnes fired the shotgun at the man and woman inside the home, blasting a hole in the ceiling before fleeing. He was arrested a few hours later at his South Woodstock residence, according to police.
Barnes, speaking from Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, told the court he was “very sorry for my actions.”
The relatively short time between the crime and resolution to the case is partly due to Barnes’ willingness to quickly take responsibility for his crime, the prosecutor and defense attorney agreed.
“This is a fair resolution,” said Emily Zukauskas, Windsor County deputy state’s attorney. “The defendant has very minimal criminal history. And as you can see is taking responsibility very swiftly.”