COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Union City man who was accused of using a gun and uttering a racial slur during a confrontation with his neighbor in late January was told to serve a 10 month jail sentence Monday in Branch County Circuit Court.
30-year-old James Ray Van Wormer entered no contest pleas to felony charges of felonious assault with a weapon and ethnic intimidation.
In exchange for his pleas, prosecutors dropped charges of being in possession of a short barreled shot gun, felony firearm and reckless use of a weapon.
Van Wormer was ordered to wear an electronic tether when his sentence concludes as he was given two years of probation. He was also credited with 97 days in jail.
Union City Police say the incident happened in the 400 block of North Broadway at about midnight January 28, 2019.
Courts documents indicate Van Wormer was intoxicated and allegedly used the N word during the confrontation. His victim was not injured after he managed to wrestle the weapon away.
