A Lilburn man was sentenced to 20 years for his role in a racially-motivated assault in Marietta, and will spend seven of those years in prison, the Office of Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced Friday.
A Cobb jury convicted Patrick Devon McDonald, 29, of aggravated assault and violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act on Oct. 31, 2014, Reynolds’ office said in an emailed statement.
About 2 a.m. Sept. 29, 2013, McDonald and another man, Jermale Maurice Whalum, assaulted a man on Franklin Road using brass knuckles, authorities said.
“We believe the victim was targeted because he was Hispanic,” said Assistant District Attorney Shep Orlow, who prosecuted the case. “There was testimony during trial regarding the targeting of Hispanics in that area for robbery because they frequently get paid in cash and may be reluctant to report crimes to the police.”
Evidence showed McDonald and Whalum had 11 bags of marijuana packaged for individual sale, Reynolds’ office said.
Once McDonald is released from prison, he will be on probation for the remaining 13 years of his 20-year sentence.
Whalum previously pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced to 15 years with four years to serve in custody. He and McDonald must pay $9,500 in restitution for the victim’s medical bills, Reynolds’ office said.
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