MACHIAS – A 41-year-old Steuben man who assaulted the town manager last year entered a no contest plea Tuesday in Washington County Superior Court.

Before being sentenced to five days in jail and 40 hours of community service, Leonard H. Garnett told Judge E. Allen Hunter he was sorry. The judge also fined Garnett $500.

Last year, Garnett had a contract with the town to plow snow. He submitted a bill for $5,000 and Steuben selectmen approved the bill.

But before he could collect, Steuben Town Manager Thomas F. Richmond said he would have to clean up around the town’s salt shed.

According to District Attorney Michael Povich, on April 21 an angry Garnett went to the town office, pushed past the town employees and went into Richmond’s office. “He grabbed the town manager by the collar and slammed him into the chair and said, ‘I want my [expletive] check,'” Povich told the judge.

The town clerk heard the commotion and went to help Richmond. She saw Garnett slam the town manager into the chair, Povich said. She pulled Garnett off Richmond and told him to leave.

Town officials called police.

Richmond then addressed the judge. He said that as a town official he expected verbal abuse, but did not expect to be assaulted. He said he was concerned about what the town personnel had been put through.

Povich said that Garnett had a prior record including unauthorized use of property in 1984 and criminal trespass in 1987.

“I agree public officials should not be subjected to this kind of anger,” Povich said. “He was angry. If his complaint was legitimate there are other ways to bring the issue before the town.”

But Garnett’s attorney Ron Mosley of Machias presented a different picture. He said that the town manager had a reputation for being aggressive and confrontational.

Mosley said that Garnett’s wife first went to the town office to ask for the payment, but Richmond refused even though selectmen had approved the payment.

He said that his client was one week postoperative from abdominal surgery and was upset when he learned that he would not be paid.

Addressing Garnett’s prior record, Mosley said those charges happened 20 years ago. He then asked the judge to fine Garnett $500, but impose no jail sentence. He also suggested that community service would be an appropriate sentence instead of the 10 days in jail the state had asked for.

Garnett then apologized and said there was no excuse for what he did, but added that Richmond made the first move. He said all he did was push him back into the chair. “I didn’t want him to hit me,” he said. “It’s the only reason I done what I done.”

The judge said he believed it was important that the court send a message that it wouldn’t tolerate an attack on public officials. “Jail sentence is appropriate,” he said. But instead of the 10 days the state had asked for, Hunter sentenced Garnett to five days in jail.