Attorneys for George T. Lightcap of Nanty Glo plan to file a motion to have the minimum sentence for his aggravated assault conviction reduced.
Lightcap was convicted in March of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter as the result of a fight that led to the death of then-Tyrone Fire Chief Ray E. Stringer at the Nanty Glo VFW last year.
Earlier this week, Lightcap was sentenced by a Cambria County Judge to 5 1/2 to 20 years in state prison. The involuntary manslaughter conviction carries a lesser sentence and will be served concurrently with the aggravated assault conviction. Lightcap was also sentenced on an unrelated drug conviction that will run concurrently with the other sentences.
Yesterday, Lightcap’s attorney Robert Davis Gleason told The Daily Herald that he plans to file a motion to have Lightcap’s sentence modified.
“We feel under the sentencing guidelines and the facts and circumstances of the case the sentence is excessive,” said Gleason. “We hope to persuade the court to lower the minimum sentence.”
Gleason said the motion would be filed with the Cambria County Clerk of Courts within 10 days of Lightcap’s sentencing. He said the court could then schedule a hearing to rule on the matter. However, he noted the court could also rule on the issue without a hearing.
An Associated Press report on Lightcap’s sentencing said Stringer, 43, died of a brain injury caused by at least two blows to the head according to authorities. Stringer was in Nanty Glo last August for a firemen’s convention, but the fight occurred away from any official convention activities.
The AP reported prosecutors said both men were drunk but that Lightcap attacked Stringer, and then hit him after he was down. Lightcap contended that he acted in self-defense.
Earlier this week, assistant Cambria County DA Gary Costlow called the sentence “appropriate.” He said Lightcap would not necessarily be automatically eligible for parole after serving 5 1/2 years. He said the judge imposed a sentence that was within “the standard range” for an aggravated assault conviction.
