Crime & Safety
Transient Gets Prison for Biting Off Cafe Owner's Fingertip
A man who bit off the fingertip of a Venice cafe owner will serve hard time after pleading guilty to mayhem.
A transient was sentenced today to two years in state prison for biting off the fingertip of a Venice cafe owner.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden Fox immediately imposed the sentence after Jonathan Shain Lemmons’ no-contest plea to one felony count of mayhem.
Lemmons -- who had previously caused disturbances at the cafe -- bit off the owner’s fingertip after being asked to leave the business March 21, according to Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Miyata.
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Clabe Hartley, who owns the Cow’s End Cafe, said the man came at him after he tried to stop him from harassing customers.
His fingertip could not be reattached.
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Cafe patrons helped stop the attack.
Lemmons was arrested soon afterward by Los Angeles police and has remained behind bars since then.
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