Taney County Prosecuting Attorney, Jeffrey M. Merrell announced today that JACOB A. HERRINGTON, dob 3/26/1985 of Tucson, Arizona was sentenced to six (6) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the class C felony of assault in the second degree by Taney County Circuit Judge Mark Orr. Probation was denied. In July of this year JACOB A. HERRINGTON was found guilty of assault in the second degree by a 10-woman, 2-man jury.

On June 4, 2008 in the Taney County jail, JACOB A. HERRINGTON had attempted to cause serious physical injury to another inmate when JACOB A. HERRINGTON held the inmate in a head-lock and punched him with his fists. Taney County jailers witnessed JACOB A. HERRINGTON beating the inmate victim and ordered him to stop. However, testimony from witnesses confirmed that JACOB A. HERRINGTON refused to stop beating the inmate victim, and had to be physically pulled away. Several other inmates were present in the Taney County jail when the assault occurred, but refused to give statements when questioned by officers.

Evidence presented during the jury trial showed that the assault was a result of a dispute between inmates over food. The prosecution presented evidence that JACOB A. HERRINGTON was attempting to use intimidation to take food from another inmate, and the inmate victim intervened and told the other inmate that he didn’t have to give his food to JACOB A. HERRINGTON. It was then that JACOB A. HERRINGTON began to assault the inmate victim.