Jonathan Blank was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation, for Shooting at/into an Occupied Vehicle, Discharging a Firearm from a Vehicle, and two counts of Aggravated Assault.
The crime happened in November 2020, near a mall, on U.S. 41 and Estero Boulevard. The defendant pulled up next to a Mustang convertible, unprovoked, and fired a shot at the car. There was a man driving, a woman in the passenger seat, and their 5-year-old son in a booster seat, behind his mother. The bullet narrowly missed striking the woman and child.
The defendant fled the scene and two hours later, shot at two other occupied vehicles in Collier County. He was arrested by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant State Attorney Steven Vitale prosecuted the case.
The sentence today was an open plea to the court. This is not a plea agreement. Each defendant has the right to plea straight to the court for sentencing and give up their right to a jury trial.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the first shooting.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director