Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Man Sentenced to Maximum Prison Sentence for Attacks
On February 18, 2025, a Muskingum County jury found Lebryant Khiry Ankrom guilty on three serious counts: aggravated burglary, felonious assault, and assault. These charges resulted from a brutal attack on two victims in early December. At his sentencing Judge Gerald Anderson imposed the maximum sentence: 19 to 24 1/2 years behind bars.
Details of the Crime
On the morning of December 12, 2024, at roughly 7:00 a.m., officers responded to a call about a serious assault at a home located at 944 Muskingum Avenue.
A man named Lebryant Khiry Ankrom entered a downstairs bedroom and attacked two individuals. According to police reports, Stephanie Athey was in the bedroom with Chad Lent, who was asleep. Ankrom, who lives upstairs in the same house, went into the room and punched Athey in the mouth. Ankrom’s attack on Athey resulted in damage to a tooth and the inside of her mouth. After attacking Athey, Ankrom began beating Lent in the face.
Athey tried to stop the attack by grabbing a metal bed rail and telling Ankrom to stop. After the attack, Ankrom left the room, and Athey called 911.
Police officers arrived shortly after and arrested Ankrom. Authorities took him to the Zanesville City Jail. Emergency responders took Lent to Genesis Hospital. Later, the medical team transferred him to Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus. Lent suffered serious injuries as a result of Ankrom’s attack, including a crushed nasal passage and damage to his eye, which may result in loss of sight. Lent is still receiving medical care at this time.
Police spoke with all involved. Ankrom chose not to give a full statement but claimed he did not do anything wrong.
The case was challenging for Assistant Prosecutors John Litle and Lucas Howard. Locating the victims was hard, and they often hesitated to cooperate.
Assistant Prosecutor John Litle expressed gratitude towards the jurors by saying, “Ultimately, the jurors saw through to the truth and followed their oaths, which required them to assess how convincing the evidence was, rather than getting lost in distractions about the lifestyles of the parties involved.”
Litle further added he was pleased with the judge's sentencing, “When a person seriously harms another, refuses to accept responsibility and loses at trial having hoped this office would not find the victims, only one punishment is appropriate: a maximum, consecutive sentence.”
###
Follow the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office on Facebook for the most current and complete information.
