Sentencing has been handed down to a Genoa Township restaurant owner charged with attacking an ex-employee with a baseball bat.

56-year-old Johnnie Lee Hamilton was the last to be sentenced of the four people charged in a brawl that occurred in the parking lot of the now-closed Chinese-American buffet, Bubba Chang’s. He was sentenced by Judge Michael P. Hatty Thursday to 11 months in jail, 23 months of probation, and to pay $590.67 in restitution fees.

In April of 2016, Guan Han Chen and Changqian Zou returned to the restaurant to collect back wages and personal belongings after recently being fired. An argument between the two men and Johnnie Hamilton, his brother Jeremy, and dishwasher Timothy Borg escalated. Jeremy reportedly used a baseball bat to smash up Chen’s vehicle and Johnnie used it to attack Zou. After Zou fell to the ground, he was attacked by Borg. Johnnie’s wife, Angela Hamilton, allegedly hid the bat afterward. She faced subsequent charges but was only required to pay fines at her sentencing last month. Borg is currently serving a prison sentence and Jeremy Hamilton was sentenced to three months of probation in July.

Zou, who suffered severe injuries from the fight, filed a civil lawsuit in May against Hamilton Cedar Creek Inc., which listed all three Hamiltons’ and Borg as the defendants. He is seeking damages to exceed $25,000. The defendants filed counterclaims in June, alleging they have suffered humiliation, lost earning capacity, and lost business. A hearing in November will follow-up on the status of that lawsuit. (DK)