Jury convicts man who attacked food pantry director and caused him to lose an eye
The man accused of attacking Community Interfaith Food Pantry director Michael Foppe last year and causing him to lose an eye has been convicted by a jury.
On Tuesday, Cortez Wilson, 42, was found guilty of four counts of aggravated battery, a news release from the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office stated.
He had been charged with the following:
aggravated battery causing permanent disability to a person over the age of 60
aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to a person over 60
aggravated battery occurring in a public place
aggravated battery taking place on a public way
On July 19, Wilson struck Foppe in the face with an unknown object at the pantry on West Main Street, breaking multiple broken facial bones, including one around Foppe’s eye.
“The eyeball itself is ruptured — it basically burst,” Tami Johnson, Foppe’s sister-in-law and a registered nurse told the BND at the time. “And the lens, which is what allows someone to see, is disrupted. So he has no vision in his left eye at all.”
The damaged parts of Foppe’s eye were removed and his vision will never come back.
According to the release from the state’s attorney’s office, Wilson also struck Roscoe McCoy in the face while located on the sidewalk outside of the pantry.
Wilson’s $75,000 bail was revoked and he was in custody at the St. Clair County Jail as of Wednesday evening. He is currently waiting sentencing. According to the release, Wilson could face three to seven years in prison on the battery to Foppe and two to five years in prison on the battery to McCoy.
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