A Schuylkill County man was sentenced to 3½ to 7 years in state prison for shooting at another motorist in a Route 61 road rage incident back in 2024.
Schuylkill County President Judge Jacqueline Russell called Eric Kohl’s behavior on the night of Nov. 19, 2024, “very troubling” in that he showed no signs of caring about the victim of the incident on the highway.
Kohl, 30, of Orwigsburg, was convicted in January on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and disorderly conduct.
A jury found that Kohl recklessly shot at another motorist on Route 61 after they’d jockeyed back and forth coming north on Route 61 near Deer Lake. Kohl got out of his vehicle and, as the other motorist said he reached the driver side headlights of his vehicle, fired several rounds from his handgun in his direction, several bullets piercing through the other vehicle’s hood.
After firing the shots, Kohl got back in his truck and sped away from the scene.
No one was physically injured in the incident.
Kohl argued that he was defending himself and believed the other motorist could have had a weapon.
“He decided to use deadly force,” Russell said of Kohl at Wednesday morning’s sentencing in Courtroom 2 at Schuylkill County Courthouse. “He just drove away, went home, changed his clothing, and went for a walk.”
Russell said that at no time did Kohl show any signs of concern for the victim in the case, not after he’d shot at him on the highway and never apologized directly to him, including on Wednesday.
“He presents a danger not only if he has a weapon but if he’s in a vehicle driving,” the judge said. “I didn’t hear anything today that he’s concerned about the victim.”
Based on context (Coal Region Canary was also covering the Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting in the same building at this time), Kohl did apologize at least indirectly and admitted his guilt in the case.
His wife testified Wednesday that Kohl is a good father and their family needs him.
“We have lost almost everything because of this mistake,” she said. “He made an awful mistake that I know he would take back if he could.”
In arguing for a mitigated, slightly lesser, sentence, Kohl’s attorney Douglas Taglieri said his client “made a big mistake in an instant.
“Mr. Kohl is a good man, a good father, and a good provider,” he said.
First Assistant District Attorney Mike Stine asked Russell to impose a sentence of 4-8 years.
“We’re lucky no one was hurt,” he said. “This could have gone a very different way.”
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