A South Lyon man charged in a baseball bat assault has been sentenced in the case.

18-year-old Malachi Collins had been charged with one count of assault with intent to murder after the July 30th incident, in which police say he used a bat to severely beat a man in the South Lyon Woods Mobile Home Park. But he entered a guilty plea last month to a reduced charge of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder. On Monday he was sentenced to serve a term of 67 months to ten years in prison. The original count could have landed Collins behind bars for life.

Police say Collins got into a dispute over $7 in cash and some clothing when he attacked the victim. A baseball bat with blood smears was found at the residence of one of the witnesses to the attack. Collins was then identified as the alleged assailant and arrested several days later at a motel near Ann Arbor. The victim of the attack continues to recover after undergoing facial reconstruction surgery. (JK)