The eight-year sentence for a DeRidder man convicted for his role in an attack on a newspaper carrier representing the American Press has been upheld, but his case will be moved back to trial court for the establishment of a payment plan for his court costs and fees.

Jurors unanimously found Dillon Mathew James guilty after a three-day trial in October 2022 of beating Woodie Blanks after he had just delivered a newspaper to the doorstep of James’ grandfather in Rosepine. The Dec. 17, 2021, attack left Blanks partially blind.

James was sentenced to eight years at hard labor, which will be suspended one year, and will be placed on supervised probation for three years. The court imposed a fine of $2,000 and court costs, both of which are to be paid during probation; a monthly supervision fee of $60; and a monthly sex offender technology fund fee of $11.50.

His brother, Douglas Paul James, was found guilty of the same charges and received the same sentence.

During the trial, Blanks testified James’ grandfather, a cancer patient, requested he place the newspaper near the steps of his house rather than in the canister by the road. Blanks said on the morning of the attack, which was about at 3 a.m., James’ grandfather was on his porch and Blanks handed him the newspaper in person. As he turned to leave, Blanks said two trucks pulled on either side of his parked vehicle and two people got out of each vehicle.

He said the two people from the rear vehicle walked across the yard toward him, demanding to know what he was doing in their grandfather’s driveway.

Blanks said as he spoke with those two people, the other two “blindsided” him, knocking him to the ground. He said he was first hit in the chest, then when he was knocked to the ground, two got on top of him and began beating him while the other two kicked him.

In his appeal, James argued the evidence introduced at trial was insufficient to prove he committed second-degree battery; his sentence was excessive; and the court erred in allowing his prior testimony to be read to the jury, violating his right against self-incrimination.

James said though he does not dispute Blanks suffered serious bodily injury, he insists the prosecution failed to prove he was the one who inflicted the serious bodily injury as opposed to those of his brother or Max Courville or Travis Moses — two men who were with the James brothers that night.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal rejected this claim, stating James conceded in court he had both tackled and punched Blanks.

“According to Mr. Blanks, all the punches hit him in the face,” the panel wrote. “Mr. Blanks identified (James) as one of the individuals who caused his injuries. Mr. Blanks was not acting aggressively. Yet (James) and his brother struck the elderly victim with such force that serious injury resulted. The injuries that he sustained included extensive bruising and bleeding in both eyes, with the damage to the left eye so severe that he lost all vision in that eye.”

The court also rejected James’ excessive sentence claim, stating the offense of second-degree battery is enumerated as a crime of violence and carries a fine of not more than $2,000 and imprisonment for not more than eight years with or without hard labor — which is the sentence James received.

“The trial court here did not abuse its discretion in imposing the near maximum sentence” the panel ruled. “The record supports the trial court’s reasoning that a lesser sentence would diminish the seriousness of the offense, especially considering the degree of injuries inflicted.”

The court also ruled that James’ testimony during his brother’s trial did not violate his right against self-incrimination.

Because James “was advised of his right to remain silent prior to his testimony and because he waived that right by voluntarily testifying, any incriminating statements that he made were admissible as statements against his interest,” the panel ruled.