An Augusta man who attempted to run down his ex-girlfriend and a good Samaritan who came to her aid, and in the process slammed her into a Gordon Highway business while taking out the business’ plate glass façade was sentenced Thursday, April 21, to 10 years in prison.
Shannon Ferrante, 40, who had been scheduled to stand trial Monday in Richmond County Superior Court opted instead to take a negotiated plea on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of criminal damage to property.
With a lengthy criminal history and the possibility of being revoked on a current probation sentence, Ferrante could have faced at least 50 years in prison without parole. Under the agreement, the maximum prison term was 12 years. He wouldn’t have to serve consecutive sentences, and he would be eligible for parole.
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Defense attorney Rachel Dolly asked the judge to sentence Ferrante to time served with drug addiction treatment. Ferrante has a criminal history but there was no violence before, she said. Drug use contributed to what happened Nov. 12, 2020, but Ferrante, who has had been in custody since that day, is ready for a chance to go into treatment and then take advantage of the job certifications he has earned, she said.
Ferrante apologized to his victims, especially the man who tried to help his ex-girlfriend. He was wrong for what happened, Ferrante said, but he lost control after his ex-girlfriend hit him in the head, causing a gash that needed four stitches.
Assistant District Attorney Kevin Davis told the judge that on Nov. 12, 2020, Ferrante and his girlfriend had already broken up but were still on speaking terms. That day, Ferrante became enraged when she declined to renew the relationship, and he started hitting her in the parking lot of the Pep Boys on Gordon Highway. An employee who saw what was happened went to the woman’s aid, the prosecutor said.
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Ferrante got back into her vehicle and tried to run both victims down. The good Samaritan got away, but Ferrante crashed into the ex-girlfriend, who was stuck between the vehicle and the store front, and crashed into the building’s front, Davis said.
In just the past 10 years, Davis said, Ferrante was convicted of theft in 2011, theft in 2012, forgery in 2013, and burglary and theft in 2016.
Judge Jesse Stone sentenced Ferrante to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years on probation. He will get credit for the time he has been in jail since his November 20202 arrest.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
