A 21-year-old man has been convicted by a Hall County Superior Court jury in an assault last fall on a Gainesville police officer.
According to Assistant Hall County District Attorney Anna Fowler, Marcos Garcia-Tovar was found guilty on a charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer in the Nov. 17, 2017 incident on Athens Highway. In addition, he was convicted on the offenses of felony obstruction of officers, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Garcia-Tovar was acquitted on a second assault charge involving a second officer who responded to the crime scene.
"The sentence on the first count was 20 years to serve," Fowler said. Garcia-Tovar was sentenced to additional time on the other charges, according to Fowler, so he is expected to serve a total of 25 years behind bars.
The trial before Judge Andrew Fuller began Tuesday and ended Thursday. The jury heard final arguments and received the case Thursday afternoon. Fowler said the jury deliberated about three-and-a-half hours before delivering the verdict Thursday evening.
Last week, a co-conspirator in the case, Alondra Rodriguez entered guilty pleas to charges levied against her.
"She entered a non-negotiated plea last week in front of Judge Fuller," Fowler said. "Her total sentence was 45 years with 25 years to be served in custody."
Garcia-Tovar and Rodriguez were arrested Nov. 19, 2019 after fleeing the scene of the altercation at the Burger King on Athens Highway. The two officers involved, Francisco Leyva and Stephen Boykin, were treated for minor injuries they sustained during the crime. You can read more about the incident in an AccessWDUN article published last November.
