Judge Upholds 6-Year Sentence in Basketball Brawl

A Minneapolis man convicted of assaulting a league commissioner at the Burnsville Athletic Club will remain in prison until his 72-month sentence is up. Judge Kevin Ross of the Minnesota Court of Appeals denied Robin Johnson's request for probation in lieu of hard time.

Johnson, 50, was arrested in February 2010 after he punched a basketball ref in front of a parents and children at the Burnsville Athletic Club, shattering some of the man's teeth and dislocating his jaw.

In June of 2010, Johnson pleaded guilty to first-degree felony assault. During the original sentencing, Judge Michael Mayer conceded that a single blow "could not fairly be considered on the same category as if Johnson had used a gun or a bat or beaten somebody senseless." Nevertheless, the Dakota County District Court sentenced Johnson to six years of incarceration due to his lengthy history of violent crime, which includes home invasion, armed robbery and attempted murder.

This March, Johnson's attorney filed an appeal, arguing for a reduced sentence. In a decision released on Tuesday, Ross shot down Johnson's appeal.

"The contention is wholly without merit," Ross wrote. "Given Johnson's history and the severity of the attack, the presumptive sentence would have been 110 months."

Ross concluded that the "argument simply warrants no further discussion."