Attack took place in December 2021 after man was asked to leave business in Ashland Shopping Center
By Kevin Opsahl, Rogue Valley Tribune
An Ashland man was sentenced Monday to nearly six years in prison for attacking the manager of Henry’s Laundromat in Ashland in 2021.
The sentence for Scott Jay Green, 44, was lower than what prosecutors had sought from Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Ravassipour, but it was appropriate, said Deputy District Attorney Michael Cohen.
Cohen thanked the victim, Lisandra Miranda, and Ashland police Officer Lacie Six, who arrested Green, for testifying in the case. Cohen also thanked Ravassipour for her work.
“I certainly concur in her decision to sentence him to that time,” Cohen said. “I think it’s appropriate given the defendant’s extensive criminal history. Hopefully, our community will have a respite from his violent behavior, not just while he’s in prison, but hopefully afterwards, as well.”
On Thursday, Feb. 23, Green waived his right to a jury trial and left it up to Ravassipour to hear testimony and weigh evidence in a day-long trial. Ravassipour heard from Miranda and reviewed pictures of injuries she sustained. She also watched surveillance footage from the business as well as body camera recordings from Six.
In announcing the verdict Friday, Ravassipour said she believed Green wasn’t at the laundromat at 1656 Ashland St. to do business on Dec. 21, 2021 — nor did he leave when Miranda asked him to leave.
Green, who was sitting on a bench in the laundromat that day eating, entered Miranda’s secure office through a roll-up window.
Six’s body camera showed Green being held down by other customers as they awaited his arrest. Miranda had by then retreated to another part of the office.
Green’s attorney, Alyssa Bartholomew, spoke in an interview immediately following the trial, which was interrupted as Green was testifying when a jail deputy fell ill in the courtroom.
“Mr. Green wanted his day in court, and therefore that’s what he got,” Bartholomew said. “He has the constitutional right in which to testify on his own behalf, and that’s what we have the justice system for.”
Miranda said the verdict brought “a small sense of closure.”
“The defendant has very methodically drawn out this whole process, so it felt good to finally close that door,” Miranda said. “I was pretty confident that he would be found guilty, because the evidence was so clear.”
She added her testimony was “nerve-wracking,” because she thought the defense would find a loophole.
“Thankfully, they didn’t,” Miranda said.
Miranda stated during testimony she never saw Green before the incident in 2021.
“I was keeping a very, very close eye on him,” she testified.
Miranda said Green was not doing laundry, and wasn’t wearing a face covering, per COVID-19 protocol at the time. The laundromat had a sign telling patrons they had to wear a mask inside the building. After Miranda asked Green to put on a mask, he put his scarf over his mouth, but it fell down.
Miranda went into her office, and several minutes later saw that Green was still not doing laundry or wearing a face covering, so she asked him to leave. That’s when Green acted “very aggressive” and “scary,” saying incomprehensible things, Miranda testified.
Miranda said she tried to grab pepper spray, but could not reach it. So she tried to pull the office’s service window down. Green tried to come through an open door, which Miranda closed. Then, Green jumped over the counter.
Green, she said, placed a “a hand-over-hand grip” on her right bicep.
“I realized I was going to have to defend myself — I could not get off of his grip,” Miranda said.
Two customers kicked open the door and tried to subdue Green but, Miranda said, Green still had her arm, so she started punching it with her free left hand — and he eventually let go.
Miranda suffered red marks to her right arm and complained of pain. She said she was not able to lift her arm above her head for a few days.
Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at kopsahl@rvtrib.com.
