Earl Johnson, 43, who is employed as a security guard at Hour Bar, located on Newtown Barracks, pleaded guilty to one count of wounding when he was arraigned before Magistrate Leslie Hamilton.

In his mitigation plea, Johnson told the court that he is a father of three children, and that this is his first offense.

Hamilton fined him $1,000, plus $5 cost of court, which he has to pay by April 28; if he defaults in payment, he would have to spend one year in prison.

The incident occurred on Sunday, March 16, around 3:15 a.m., when Johnson got into an altercation with a co-worker, Leopold Piñeda.

Johnson punched Piñeda in his left eye, after Piñeda allegedly called him names. Piñeda made a report to police and requested court action. At the police station, he was issued with a police medico-legal form, on which a doctor classified his injury as wounding.

When the facts of the case was reported to police by Piñeda were read in court, Johnson said he did not punch Piñeda in the eye.

Johnson told the court that he pointed his finger in Piñeda’s face and it left a scratch. Despite controverting the details of the incident, Johnson maintained his guilty of wounding plea.

Hamilton accepted the guilty plea and imposed the fine on the first-time offender.