Amazing Football Talent Wasting Away Behind Bars

Often, many people go through life searching for the ever-elusive opportunity that will transform their lives into the rosy dream that conforms to their dreams and hopes. One Eric Howard fortunately had that golden opportunity in his hands however through poor decisions and negative peer pressure, life has become one terrible long jail term. Eric Howard’s star shone brightly on the field as he awed the fans that showed up every Friday to watch him play in the North Canton Memorial Stadium over three years ago and they celebrated with him when the University of Akron offered him a scholarship in 2010. The talented Hoover High School running back literally tossed away his thriving and budding football career when he decided to rob and sexually assault a couple on August 20, 2011.

On that particular day, Eric was in the company of his two friends Michael Taylor and Seth Obermiller. Eric and Seth wore ski masks while wielding shotguns at their hapless victims inside their North Canton home. While Michael served as his friends’ eyes outside the couple’s home, Eric was busy inserting his gloved fingers into the woman’s privates as his boyfriend watched with great anguish. The man and woman aged 23 and 20 years respectively went ahead and reported the matter to the Police since the assaulted woman identified the budding football star by his large physique and voice. Many wonder why Eric Howard decided to take part in lawlessness when he should have been working hard on his GPA in order to meet the academic prerequisites for his scholarship at the University of Akron. Other universities such as Ohio State showed a lot of interest in him however, he needed a GPA of 2.2 to qualify for the scholarship. Eric Howard struggled to improve his GPA from 2.0 to the required 2.2 but his lack of priorities snatched away his golden ticket from his hands and replaced it with a 31-year prison sentence.

Eric Howard and his accomplices were charged with robbery with violence, kidnap and sexual assault. His Defense Attorney offered him a twelve-year sentence in exchange of pleading guilty to the crimes but Eric rejected the offer in January 2012. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to a 41-year prison sentence in February 2012 but Howard’s Defense Attorney managed to convince the judge to reduce the sentence by ten years since some of Eric’s charges merged with each other according to Ohio State law. Michael Taylor was the luckiest since he got away with probation while Seth received a seven-year sentence. The prosecution presented a strong case against the defendants by providing security footage from a Walmart store in Jackson Township where Eric Howard and his partners in crime are seen purchasing gloves and duct tape used in the robbery.