Judge denies appeal of Jeannette man convicting of assaulting jail guards

The appeal of a Jeannette man’s conviction and sentence for assaults on guards at Westmoreland County Prison has been denied.

Derrick Deon Cobbs, 42, following a jury trial in 2012, was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced to serve 10 to 20 years in prison. The jury found Cobbs not guilty of an attempted murder charge.

Prosecutors contended Cobbs became enraged that green beans were mixed with pasta on his dinner plate as he awaited trial on a rape charge and put one guard in a choke hold during a melee that ensued.

In his appeal, Cobbs raised 16 different issues in which he claimed he was improperly represented during his trial and in subsequent appeals of his conviction and sentence. Among Cobb’s claims are allegations that he was not permitted to testify on his own behalf and that jurors did not see surveillance video of the full incident.

In a 15-page opinion filed Wednesday, Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani said there was no evidence to support Cobbs’ claims.

In addition to his sentence for the jail guard assaults, Cobbs is also serving a 40-year prison sentence after he was convicted in 2014 for the rape of a Jeannette woman.