The Charlottesville man who made headlines with his attempts to oust a city councilor will perform 50 hours of community service after being convicted of misdemeanor assault.
Blogger Jason Kessler was in Charlottesville General District court on Monday for a sentencing hearing after having pleaded guilty in April to misdemeanor assault.
The charge stemmed from a January incident on the Downtown Mall, where Kessler was hawking his petition to have Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy removed from office over allegations that he misused his office. James Justin Taylor, of Crozet, has told reporters that when he approached Kessler and insulted the petition, Kessler responded by punching him in the face.
Kessler originally claimed that Taylor had also assaulted him, but prosecutors dropped the charge filed against Taylor when video surveillance disproved Kessler’s version of events.
In early April, Kessler pleaded guilty to the charge, and later told reporters that the assault was out of character for him. He further criticized Taylor for having “run to the cops” rather than accept his apology.
In court Monday, Kessler was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with all of that time suspended. He must pay $89 in court fees and perform 50 hours of community service.
Is this the dude that Corey is rubbing elbows with and defending? I would just steer clear. It sounds like some of the folks involved are pretty hot-headed.
Thank goodness Corey’s name wasn’t mentioned.
