Ohio Construction Company Owner Gets Prison for Worker’s Death

An Ohio construction company owner has been sentenced to three years in prison for failing to provide safety equipment when an employee fell from a roof and died.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports 53-year-old James Coon was sentenced Sept. 6 in Summit County after pleading guilty in July to involuntary manslaughter and workers’ compensation fraud.

Prosecutors say 39-year-old Gerardo Juarez on his second day with the company fell at a three-story apartment complex in November 2017. Coon’s charges were based on not providing safety equipment to employees and failing to acquire worker’s compensation coverage.

Coon’s attorney asked for a lesser sentence, saying his client is remorseful and has accepted responsibility.

Judge Alison McCarty pointed out that during Coon’s two decades in business, two other workers either fell off or through roofs.

• Ohio Employer Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter After Worker Dies in Fall Off Roof