The man accused of a horrific assault at Dietrich High School was sentenced Friday afternoon.
A judge handed down a withheld judgment and sentenced 19-year-old John R.K. Howard to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service.
Howard is accused of kicking a coat hanger into the rectum of a mentally disabled teenager last year.
They both played on Dietrich's football team. Two other football players were also charged as juveniles in the attack, but lawyers for the victim's family have described Howard as the ringleader in the abuse.
They say he targeted the victim - who is black - with racial slurs and bullying for months before the assault. However, prosecutors have said they don't believe the incident was a sexual assault.
Howard took a plea deal in December that will allow him to avoid prison time.
KTVB's Katie Terhune and Morgan Boydston will be tweeting from the courtroom - follow the live blog here. We'll have live coverage today in the News at Four, News at Five, and News at Six on KTVB.
Live Blog Dietrich High School assault sentencing
