SLO County woman who attacked man with baseball bat faces 7 years in state prison
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A San Miguel resident found guilty of assault after she attacked a man with a baseball bat faces up to seven years in state prison.
Janine Cesena, 33, hid in the San Miguel Dollar General Store parking lot on the night of Oct. 12, 2023, waiting to attack a man that she believed cheated with her girlfriend, the San Luis Obispo County District’s Attorney’s Office said in a news release Thursday.
The man walked into the parking lot at 9:54 p.m., and Cesena left her hiding spot to strike him on the head and chest with a baseball bat.
“The assault caused the victim to experience a brain bleed, including hearing and vision loss, as well as an inability to concentrate,” the release said.
Cesena fled the scene of the crime and stayed with a friend until she was arrested on Oct. 15, 2023, the release said.
“This unprovoked violent crime was shocking, and our hearts go out to the victim who sustained serious injuries and whose testimony was heard loud and clear by the jury,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the news release.
A law enforcement investigation revealed that the survivor of the attack had not cheated on Cesena’s girlfriend, the release said.
A jury found Cesena guilty of assault with a series of aggravating factors, including great bodily injury, great violence, great bodily harm, acts showing a high degree of cruelty or viciousness and that the man was “particularly vulnerable,” the release said.
Cesena will be sentenced on Jan. 15, at 8:30 a.m. in Department 9 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
She faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.
