South County Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Shooting at Girlfriend

John Clagett, 44, of Friendship, was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for shooting at his girlfriend during an argument in July of this year, reported The Capital.

Police responded to reported shooting in the 300 block of Friendship Road in Friendship in the early morning hours of July 14. The shooting was called into 911 by a 41-year-old woman, who claimed that Clagett—who was her boyfriend at the time—struck her with an object during an argument, knocking her to the ground.

The woman said she ran from the home and was trying to get into her car when “multiple shots were fired by the suspect,” police said. All of the rounds hit the car, and the woman was able to drive to a nearby home to call police.

At the scene of the shooting, police found the doors of the house locked and Clagett nowhere in sight. He emerged from the woods near the home about an hour later, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, and was placed under arrest and charged with murder, assault and firearms violations, according to police.

Police investigation revealed that the couple was arguing over Clagett's recent drug use, reported The Capital.

First- and second-degree murder charges against Clagett were dropped when he agreed to plead guilty to first-degree assault and use of a firearm in a felony or violent crime, according to The Capital. He was sentenced to 12 years, with all but five suspended, and with five years of supervised probation upon his release. 
 
Read the full story on The Capital.