According to the judge, it was luck and what he called the “love of a good woman” that kept an Ironton man from serving prison time for his crime.

“Luck must be on your side,” Judge Charles Cooper told defendant Robert Early.

Early, 55, of 412 Township Road 203W, pleaded guilty to amended charges of fourth-degree aggravated assault through his attorney, Warren Morford.

Early was originally charged with second-degree felonious assault on his wife, which would have brought a far more serious sentence, Cooper said.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mack Anderson said he lowered the charges because Early’s wife did not want to prosecute her husband in the case.

Anderson said since Early’s wife sustained serious injuries, he would not consider dropping the charges all together, but would make a compromise.

Morford said his client does not remember the incident due to mixing alcohol with prescription drugs, but he is remorseful.

“I am sorry for what has happened,” Early said before sentencing. “I love my wife. I love her dearly. But that is no excuse…”

Cooper sentenced Early to four years of community-controlled sanctions under intensive supervised probation with 17 months reserved in prison if he fails to comply.

In other cases:

• John Knotts, 26, of 8252 State Route 93, Pedro, pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated possession of drugs (oxycontin) through his attorney, J.T. Holt.

Before sentencing, Holt said his client had made great efforts to get his life back on track and had procured employment and tested clean at each court drug screening.

Cooper sentenced Knotts to four years CCS/ISP, ordered him to successfully complete the STAR Community Justice Center drug program, suspended his driver’s license for one year and ordered him to pay a mandatory $2,500 fine.

• Gaylord Gollihue, 37, of 11479 Kentucky Highway 76, Berry, Ky., pleaded not guilty to a bill of information one count of fifth-degree theft of a credit card, three misdemeanor counts of misuse of a credit card and one count of misdemeanor resisting arrest.

Cooper continued bond from a lower court and scheduled a pretrial for June 27.

Gollihue was represented by his attorney, J.T. Holt.

• Thomas Ratliff, 20, of 301 Third St. East, South Point, pleaded guilty to amended charges.

A felony count of aggravated burglary was lowered to second-degree attempted aggravated burglary and one of two misdemeanor counts of assault was dropped.

Cooper set sentencing for June 27 and set a $25,000 bond and ordered GPS home confinement.

Ratliff was represented by his attorney, Luke Styer.