Man sentenced for fatal New Year's Day nightclub shooting

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A suspect charged in connection to a fatal New Year's Day shooting at a Columbus nightclub will spend at least the next five years in prison.

According to court records, Jermaine S. Westbrook, 30, pleaded guilty to felonious assault with a gun specification last month. Three other felonious assault charges as well as attempted murder, inducing panic, and weapon under disability charges were dropped in exchange for the plea.

The court sentenced Westbrook to between two and three years in prison for the assault plea with an added mandatory three years for the weapon specification. He will also be under post-release control for 1 1/2 to 3 years upon his release from prison.

According to police, on Jan. 1 at approximately 2:30 a.m., five people were shot — one of them fatally — when an argument erupted between two patrons at Bucks Platinum, an adult entertainment club at 2830 Johnstown Road in Mifflin Township. Westbrook was identified as one of those involved in the argument.

Charles Westbrook died as a result of the shooting. Four other people who were shot were hit by stray bullets, police said.

One other man arrested in the case, Charles W. Foster III, 25, is awaiting trial on murder and felonious assault charges, according to online court records.