Man Sentenced In Restaurant Beating
Thomas Wilkins
Third man
sentenced in beating of local restaurant owner
By Ted Pennekamp
A 23-year-old Salem Ill. man was sentenced on June 8 in Crawford County Circuit Court in connection with the severe beating of a local restaurant owner.
On April 25, Thomas Wilkins was convicted of charges relating to the beating. Wilkins pleaded no contest to, and was found guilty of, battery-intend bodily harm as a party to a crime, criminal damage to property as a party to a crime, and theft of moveable property less than $2,500 as a party to a crime.
Wilkins had faced up to 7.5 years in prison and $30,000 in fines.
At his sentencing hearing on June 8, Wilkins was sentenced to 154 days in the Crawford County Jail with jail credit and Huber privileges for the count of theft of moveable property as a party to a crime. He was sentenced to one year in jail with Huber privileges for the count of aggravated battery-intend bodily harm as a party to a crime. The one-year in jail is to be served consecutively to the first count. He was sentenced to 154 days in jail with jail credit for the count of criminal damage to property as a party to a crime. The sentence is to be served consecutively to counts one and two. Wilkins must also provide a DNA sample.
Wilkins was fined a total of $2,104. He still owes the court $1,004.
On or around Oct. 20, 2015, Young Su Kim was severely beaten in Wasabi Japanese Restaurant, which he owned in the town of Bridgeport.
On Oct. 21, 2015, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department and emergency medical personnel responded to the Wasabi Restaurant and found Kim unresponsive. He was transported to Crossing Rivers Health and then med-flighted to Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse due to the severity of his injuries.
Wilkins was one of three Illinois men who were arrested and later charged in relation to the beating.
The charges against a 25-year-old Wamac, Ill. man, Kellen Jeffords, were dismissed on April 20.
Jacob Erwin, 25, of Salem, Ill., was convicted in February of criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to a dwelling, and entry into/onto a building, construction site or room. Erwin was sentenced to 168 days in jail. The 168 days had already been served by Erwin. Erwin paid restitution of $4,234.98 to Young Su Kim. Erwin also paid $5,980 in restitution to Brian Park, the owner of the building.
Young Su Kim, 43, was killed on April 25 when he was struck by a vehicle in Clarksville, Tenn. Kim stepped out into traffic and was struck, according to Clarksville Police Department reports.
