Royal City man gets 8 years for assaulting parents with shovel

ROYAL CITY — A Royal City man will be spending a little over eight years in prison for assaulting his parents with a shovel in February.

Wilmer Guerrero, 26, of Royal City, pleaded guilty in Grant County Super Superior Court to two counts of second degree assault and was sentenced to a total of 97.5 months, a little more than 8 years, in prison. Guerrero was initially facing charges of first-degree assault, with an allegation of domestic violence, and second-degree assault, with an allegation of domestic violence, but the charges were amended in a plea agreement.

The incident occurred Feb. 4 in Royal City after Guerrero entered his parent’s home and started speaking with his father. At some point Guerrero took off his jacket and started hitting his father in the face. He then shoved his father onto the ground and proceeded to kick and stomp on his head.

“Wilmer then grabbed a shovel and began to hit (his father) in the face with the metal part of the shovel multiple times,” read court documents.

Guerrero’s mother attempted to intervene, but he ended up punching the woman in the face and swung a shovel at her, hitting and slicing her shin open. Guerrero was located near the residence and taken into custody by a Royal City police officer. Guerrero’s father sustained a “shattered lower jaw” and was flown to a Spokane-area hospital for treatment.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.