EBENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man convicted of assault in a barroom fight that killed a volunteer fire chief was sentenced to 5 1/2 to 20 years in state prison.
George T. Lightcap IV, 30, of Nanty Glo, was convicted in March of aggravated assault and involuntary manslaughter in the Aug. 19 death of Ray E. Stringer, 43, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars club in Nanty Glo.
Stringer, chief of the Neptune Volunteer Fire Department in Tyrone, died of a brain injury caused by at least two blows to the head, authorities said. Stringer was in Nanty Glo for a firemen’s convention.
Prosecutors said both men were drunk but that Lightcap attacked Stringer, then hit him after he was down. Lightcap contended that he acted in self-defense.
“I want to tell the family and the court and everybody that was affected, the accident should never have happened and I pray for everybody,” Lightcap said at his sentencing Tuesday.
“George Lightcap caused our family such pain and grief, it will never be the same,” said Stringer’s brother, Timothy Stringer.
Assistant 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.
Editor’s note: Additional details from Daily Herald staff reports were included in this story.
