Vienna man convicted of strangulation charge gets 2-year prison term
The Vienna man who gave some untruths about the status of his military service during trial was given a two-year prison sentence Wednesday by Common Pleas Judge Cynthia Rice.
An investigation by the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office and the Trumbull County Veterans Services Office uncovered some falsehoods with the testimony of Kotey D. Paden, 31, of Soddom Hutchings Road.
Paden had testified in his own defense on Tuesday afternoon he was a combat veteran while serving in the U.S. Military overseas. But acting upon a tip, Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman said he called Herman Breuer, director of the county’s Veteran Services Commission to investigate Paden’s military record.
“After several hours of looking into records, (Breuer) discovered that Paden was dishonorably discharged from service because of criminal offenses. It was also found that he did not serve overseas,” Wildman said.
Wildman told the judge and the defense attorney early Wednesday that Breuer would be available as a rebuttal witness at trial. However, Paden decided to plea to the indictment.
As a result, Paden on Feb. 21 pleaded guilty to a third-degree strangulation charge as well as misdemeanor offenses of domestic violence and endangering children to end the trial before Judge Rice.
At the sentencing hearing, the victim in a prepared statement indicated the defendant imposed upon herself and her son a state of fear through intimidation and abuse since December 2022. She said the abuse turned physical and left bruises on her.
Wildman recommended a prison sentence for Paden.