From The Frederick News-Post in Maryland:
FREDERICK, Md. - Lawrence Leo Geisler Jr. has been confined to a wheelchair for almost 30 years.
For the next 10 years, the 52-year-old Walkersville man will be confined to a prison cell for stabbing an 19-year-old acquaintance in the face.
On Wednesday, Frederick County Circuit Court Judge John H. Tisdale sided with the prosecutor and rejected appeals from Geisler's public defender and family to let him serve time in the local jail for the first-degree assault.
After a night spent drinking and using crack cocaine, Geisler argued with the victim, invited to a townhouse by Geisler's niece.
Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer M. Lichtenfeld said Geisler missed the victim's left eye by two inches in the Feb. 23 knife assault.
"Sentencing can be one of the most difficult things the court does. Each case has its own unique set of circumstances," Tisdale said.
"In this case, what I fall back on is this: It's called responsibility. This case is serious enough it justifies what the state recommends," Tisdale said.
He ordered Geisler to serve 10 years of a 25-year sentence in the Maryland Division of Correction.
Before issuing his ruling, the judge listened for about an hour as Geisler's sister, Vickie; his son, Lawrence Geisler III; and his lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Margaret A. Teahan, pleaded for an empathetic outcome.
"Our mother is very, very ill. She's had a stroke," Vickie Geisler said. "If you send him away for a long time, I'm afraid it's going to kill
her."
Geisler's grown son said it was only three years ago that he began enjoying a relationship with his father. Now a father himself of a 7-month-old boy, he wants his father to get to know his grandson.
"I'm begging the court to have mercy on him," he said.
Teahan had a social worker describe the difficulties Geisler would face in prison.
In addition to pain associated with his broken back from a 1979 car crash, Geisler is diabetic and suffers from mental health issues from childhood.
A frequent drug and alcohol user, Geisler was highly intoxicated at the time of the attack."He comes to court today and says 'now I need treatment,'" Tisdale said, imposing the 10 years. Lichtenfeld emphasized Geisler's significant criminal record.
Once Geisler is released, he will be placed on five years of supervised probation.
Tisdale also ordered him to pay $1,535 in restitution to cover the victim's medical bills.
