By Nina Hall
SACRAMENTO – Defendant Sean McKinney – in a quest to find his girlfriend – now finds himself facing felony assault charges, and a trial next April despite his lawyer’s effort to get the charges reduced last week in Sacramento County Superior Court, Judge Tami R. Bogert’s Dept. 14.
Assistant Public Defender Brooks Parfitt called for one count of assault likely to cause great bodily injury to be reduced down to battery charges arguing, “This charge requires proof that Mr. McKinney used force that was likely to produce great bodily injury.”
“If Mr. McKinney had in fact actually used force that was likely to produce great bodily injury, then there is a very high probability that it would have in fact caused great bodily injury,” despite his client’s actions knocking out two teeth from one of the victims and a complete loss of consciousness,” he added.
McKinney garnered these charges as a result of his actions on Dec. 11, 2019. On the day in question, McKinney approached two different trailers in the park to attempt to locate his girlfriend. One of the trailer’s was home to his girlfriend’s cousin.
Sacramento Police Dept. officer Mark Thrall reported that the first victim had informed him that after McKinney entered their home, where the victim’s wife and children were present, he inquired if they knew the location of his girlfriend.
When McKinney was told that they did not know where his girlfriend was and asked him to leave, his behavior allegedly became angry and 
erratic, and started throwing nearby items in the trailer.
McKinney was then said to have punched the male victim multiple times and began beating him with a metal water container. The victim sustained swelling to his left eye and a three inch laceration across the face.
SPD officer Justin Johnson testified that witnesses told him that after going into the first trailer, McKinney entered another one, which its inhabitants did not know.
The next victim heard banging on the door to his trailer, when he opened the door McKinney was present, but the two did not know each other. Witness statements revealed that McKinney appeared to be looking for someone upon his entry into the trailer.
McKinney also allegedly came into contact with another male victim and punched him in the face, causing him to lose consciousness entirely, as well as lose two teeth.
The defendant, according to officer witness statements, asked the female witness to move back the curtains, believing that his girlfriend was hiding there. McKinney left after he saw that his girlfriend was not behind the curtains.
When Parfitt suggested that the assault charges be dropped down to battery, Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Sanders was quick to argue, “The standard is not that he did cause great bodily injury, it’s that it was likely. What we have evidence of is bleeding, swelling, cuts, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a further possibility of injury based on this conduct.”
Judge Bogert agreed with the prosecution and is calling McKinney to answer to all his charges as they stand at trial in April, 2021.
Nina Hall is a writer with the Vanguard.
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