Columbia man gets 8 1/2 years in assault on security guard

An 18-year-old Columbia man who pleaded guilty to assaulting an apartment security guard was sentenced Friday to 8� years in jail, with all but 18 months suspended. Derrod Petterson of the 8800 block of Flowestock Way was one of several teenagers to confront the guard in May while the man sat off-duty in an unmarked car. One of the teenagers fired a shot that shattered the car window but did not strike the guard, who was punched as he left the vehicle. Senior Assistant State's Attorney Colleen McGuinn said the guard was attacked in retaliation for an altercation earlier in the day between one of the attackers and another guard. Petterson, who apologized during Friday's hearing in Howard County Circuit Court, will also serve five years of supervised probation after his release.

- Don Markus