Public faith in the courts is at a historic low. Photo: Sora Shimazaki, Pexels

Kyle Raleigh, 34, has been sentenced to probation for assaulting three people outside the Montgomery Inn Boathouse last summer.

In September, Kyle Raleigh, the son of WCPO 9 News Chief Meteorologist Steve Raleigh, was indicted on one count of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated assault, all felonies, for the June 22 incident in which two elderly people were injured. Doug Morrow, 79, and his wife Lois Morrow, 76, were both injured following a fender-bender dispute with members of the Raleigh family. He ended up taking a plea deal in December, pleading guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges.

On Feb. 10, Raleigh was ordered to serve three years probation, complete 200 community service hours and pay more than $9,000 in fines.

“We are satisfied that he accepted responsibility and will be supervised for three years by the probation department,” said Konrad Kircher, an attorney representing members of the Morrow family. “We hope he has learned from his mistakes and that he will never do something like this again.”

Kircher previously told CityBeat that the Morrows would pursue a civil case against Raleigh. Following sentencing, Kircher said the Morrows now “hope to negotiate compensation with his insurance carrier.”

According to case documents, Kyle Raleigh “used deadly force” and “knowingly caused serious physical harm” to individuals involved in the attack “while under the influence of sudden passion or in a sudden fit of rage.”

Troy Morrow, the son of Doug and Lois Morrow, still faces one misdemeanor count of menacing for the incident. Kircher said Troy’s case “hasn’t made any progress,” that has not been convicted and has “no intention to plead to anything.”

Background on the case:

It all started the evening of June 22 in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive. That’s when Carter Raleigh, Steve Raleigh’s 28-year-old son, allegedly hit the Morrow family’s Ford F-150 pickup truck while driving his grandfather’s Cadillac Escalade in the parking lot. The Morrows allege that Carter Raleigh got out of the family’s Escalade and began arguing with the Morrow family. It wasn’t long before the Morrows say Steve Raleigh emerged from the direction of the restaurant, asking them not to call the police. Witnesses reported that a physical confrontation ensued, resulting in serious injuries to Lois Morrow and her husband Douglas, who both suffered concussions and other significant injuries.

The Morrows and their attorney maintain it was Kyle Raleigh who was the aggressor in the attack.

In a July 10 Facebook post, Stacie Morrow-Stickrod, the daughter of the victims, said her mother was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, fractured skull, brain bleeding, a contusion on the back of her head that required staples, a detached eye lens and cuts and bruises to her arms and legs. Her father was also knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, the post said. Additionally, Morrow-Stickrod shared on July 23 that Lois Morrow was told on July 19 that she was showing signs of dementia as a result of the alleged attack.

Cameras at the Montgomery Inn’s Boathouse location weren’t working, but in Morrow-Stickrod’s July 10 Facebook post about the incident, she included a now-viral video that appears to capture the aftermath of the assault.

The over-three-minute video launched this story into the national spotlight, depicting a chaotic scene. The blurry video shows an argument, and as the person filming regains balance, Douglas and Lois Morrow are both seen lying on the pavement, with blood visible next to Lois Morrow’s head.

In the video, Kevin Youkilis, a former UC and Red Sox baseball player, is seen arguing with Steve Raleigh. Youkilis addressed the viral video in a July 13 Facebook post, saying he was eating dinner with an agent when he saw the incident break out. Youkilis tried to de-escalate the situation, according to his Facebook post.

Weeks after the incident, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve was appointed special prosecutor for the case after Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers stepped back from the investigation.

What happened to Steve Raleigh?
Steve Raleigh, a local celebrity, has appeared on WCPO 9 News for almost 20 years. Once the video of the incident at Montgomery Inn went viral, WCPO released a statement implying there was more to the story and that Steve Raleigh hadn’t been charged with a crime. Steve Raleigh’s social media pages quickly disappeared after the parking lot video started racking up views. Hours later, he was notably absent from WCPO’s 5 p.m. newscast, remaining off-air in the weeks that followed.

By September, Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve announced that there was no evidence Steve Raleigh violated any criminal law during the viral Montgomery Inn parking lot incident.

“During the course of this investigation, it has been determined that criminal charges are not warranted against Mr. Steve Raleigh, as there is no evidence that he violated any criminal law,” Tekulve said in a press release. “Accordingly, as to Mr. Steve Raleigh, this investigation is closed.”

Steve Raleigh returned to the air after the announcement.

Follow CityBeat’s staff news writer Madeline Fening on Instagram. Got a news tip? Email mfening@citybeat.com.

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