Guy Asks Judge for More Prison Time

An inmate in Ohio surprised a courtroom this week by asking a judge to give him a longer prison sentence than the one negotiated in his plea agreement.

Kenneth Newton, 27, appeared Monday before Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge R. Scott Krichbaum. Instead of accepting the 12-month sentence outlined in a plea deal, Newton requested that the judge extend the term to 18 months.

Judge Krichbaum expressed clear surprise at the unusual request, telling Newton he had never before encountered a defendant asking for additional time behind bars. He even asked whether the request was meant as a joke.

Newton had pleaded guilty to two counts of assault, both fourth-degree felonies, along with a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing. The charges stem from an incident on February 6 at the Mahoning County jail. Prosecutors said Newton bit two sheriff’s deputies while they were escorting him to an elevator inside the facility.

According to Newton, the reason for requesting the longer sentence was to allow more time to take part in vocational training and counseling programs offered within the prison system.

Judge Krichbaum approved the request and imposed the 18-month sentence. The new term will run consecutively to a separate prison sentence of two to three years that Newton received earlier this year after being convicted of felonious assault.