A jury Friday convicted John Cook of a misdemeanor assault charge in the beating of a man on Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival, deciding against finding him guilty of a more serious charge that was available to them.
Cook wore a white shirt, a grey patterned tie and dark slacks as he listened to the verdict. Judge Bruce Lubeck ordered Cook into jail to await sentencing, scheduled for Nov. 30. A Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputy handcuffed Cook and led him out a side door of the courtroom. Family members told Cook they loved him as he was led out.
The conviction is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in the Summit County Jail and a $2,500 fine. The jury had the option of convicting him on a second-degree felony charge, which would have carried a potential sentence of between 1 and 15 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
Cook’s victim, Ryan Bilbrey, said in an interview the verdict is "disgusting." Bilbrey said Cook lied during the trial when he described the circumstances of the confrontation, claiming that Cook erroneously recounted the scuffle between Bilbrey and another person that occurred just before the attack from Cook.