Seller of Firecracker That Blew Off Man’s Lips Get Prison Term
A 23-year-old Van Nuys man was sentenced Monday to three years, eight months in state prison for possessing cocaine and dangerous fireworks in connection with a June 30 explosion in which a man’s lips were blown off when he tried to smoke a firecracker.
Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Richard G. Kolostian imposed the maximum sentence on Jay Edward Smith, who pleaded guilty to the two counts in November.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed the more serious charges of mayhem and assault against Smith.
The victim, Francis Donnelly, testified at a preliminary hearing that Smith sold him a device with a fuse and instructed him to smoke it if he had trouble sleeping. Donnelly said he lighted the device, which he did not recognize as a firecracker. The resulting explosion maimed Donnelly’s face.
Donnelly admitted that he had been smoking marijuana, using cocaine and drinking that night. Donnelly testified at the preliminary hearing that he bought cocaine from Smith.
Smith’s attorney, James E. Blatt, argued for a lesser prison term, saying that his client should not be held responsible for Donnelly’s stupidity.
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