An Avoca man has pleaded guilty to assault just before his trial was set to begin.
According to the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office, 51-year-old Terry C. Long, Jr. pleaded guilty to first degree assault in connection with the 2023 shooting of his wife.
Long admitted that on the night of Dec. 13, 2023, he was arguing with his wife and intentionally shot her in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun, which was loaded with buckshot.
The victim survived the shooting and worked with law enforcement and prosecutors in the case.
Long faces 9 ½ years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision at his sentencing in April.
