NEWS

Man pleads guilty in assault of Joe Deters' son

Henry Molski
hmolski@enquirer.com
Matthew Johnson

One of the five males charged in the beating of Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters' son during Taste of Cincinnati pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Matthew Johnson, Jr., 24, pleaded guilty to all five charges in his name, including ethnic intimidation, felonious assault, aggravated riot and two separate counts of assault.

Johnson was sentenced by Judge Robert Winkler.

"We believe the sole motivation (for the alleged attack) was because of the color of their skin," Assistant Ohio Attorney General Daniel "Woody" Breyer said of the May 24, 2014 incident.

According to Breyer, witnesses told police the five adults and one juvenile charged in the beating of Jonathan Deters, 23, said, "let's get the (epithet) white guy." And minutes later: "There's another one," when they spotted another white man who police allege was beaten by the same five.

Other individuals facing the same charges as Johnson include Yahdea Brown, 19, of Golf Manor; Joshua McCoy, 21, of Hartwell; Onea Lapsley, 22, of Forest Park; Matthew Johnson Jr., 23, of Roselawn; and one juvenile. Their court dates are still pending.

They are accused of the May 24 beating of Jonathan Deters, his girlfriend and another man, of whom little is known because the indictment lists the victims only by their initials.

Enquirer reporter Kimball Perry contributed to this report.