Man Given 10-Year Sentence for Newport Robbery, Shooting
A Saint Paul man was sentenced to ten years and five months in state prison on Friday for his role in a robbery and shooting that left a Newport woman critically injured nearly two years ago.
33-year-old Donald Isaiah Ealey was sentenced on Friday after he pled guilty to one count of aiding and abetting 1st-degree assault in exchange for two other counts being dropped. His co-defendant, 39-year-old Justus Rydell Wright, of Buffalo, pled guilty to two felony counts last July and was given more than 14 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were called to an apartment building on 8th Avenue in Newport on May 14, 2022 for a report of a woman who was shot during a robbery.
Deputies arrived and located the victim in the bathroom of the residence, bleeding from the abdomen. She was transported to the hospital where she required emergency surgery and was admitted to the intensive care unit for her injuries.
A male occupant of the apartment told investigators that he was awakened by a knock on the door early that morning. Believing it to be a neighbor or an acquaintance, he opened the door and let in Ealey and Wright. Once inside, the male resident discovered that Ealey was wearing a full facemask, while Wright took out a handgun and began holding it against his head. Hearing the commotion, the female resident came out of the bedroom and approached the suspects. Wright then fired one shot which struck her in the abdomen. Ealey and Wright then moved through the apartment, taking the victims' money, cell phone, and a BB gun before fleeing the scene.
Ealey has previous felony convictions for burglary and drug possession while Wright has previous convictions for crimes ranging from illegal possession of a firearm, burglary, kidnapping and assault.
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