A man from Manton has been sentenced for an assault on a neighbor. On November 19th of last year 36-year-old Jeremy Maurer accused 59-year-old Mark Goss of stealing cigarettes. The two are neighbors at the Manton Trailer Park. During the ensuing argument Goss was struck in the head with a bottle. He was covered in blood from a large laceration on his head. A friend of Goss, 56-year-old Michael Whitlock, heard of the attack and went to help his friend, arriving in time to see Maurer driving away. Whitlock pursued Maurer on Manton Road and the narrow and winding Wilson Hill Road as he tried to block him with his pickup, but Maurer rammed the back of the pickup. When Maurer again tried to drive away and was blocked, he struck the side of Whitlock’s pickup, causing it to spin out. Whitlock suffered back pain from the impact. As deputies were investigating and taking statements, Maurer called the sheriff’s office and asked to speak to a deputy. His version of the story apparently didn’t match that of the witnesses or the physical evidence and he was arrested. Maurer has been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 4 years in state prison.