By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — A Kannapolis man received probation after he pleaded guilty Wednesday in district court to assault on a handicapped person.
District Court Judge Marshall Bickett sentenced Bryan O’Neal to 30 days in the N.C. Department of Correction, which was suspended to one year of unsupervised probation. He was also ordered to pay court costs and fines.
O’Neal, 30, of McGill Street, was charged in October with two counts assault on a handicapped person. The victims were his in-laws, Mark and Phyllis Chamberlain, of Dixon Street, Salisbury.
At the time, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, who arrested O’Neal said the Chamberlains are disabled, which constitutes the assault on a handicapped person charges.
He told the couple he wanted to pick up his four-wheeler. The couple said when he arrived, O’Neal caused a scene. Department reports said O’Neal slapped Phyllis Chamberlain when she tried to calm him down. A fight ensued and O’Neal grabbed Mark Chamberlain by the shoulders and pushed him to the ground. He got into his truck, left, running over several mailboxes in the process, the report said.
Both Mark and Phyllis were in court on Wednesday and both said it was a misunderstanding.
Mark Chamberlain told the judge O’Neal had since made amends for the mailboxes.
O’Neal’s attorney, Trippe McKeny, said his client was very sorry.
“This was an argument that shouldn’t have happened,” McKeny said.
The attorney asked the judge for probation. The Chamberlains insisted things had been worked out.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.