A Dowagiac man could face up to 15 years behind the bars of a Michigan prison, after being found guilty by a Cass County jury for assaulting a witness.

Darius Wilson, 20, was found guilty by a jury of 12 on charges of witness retaliation and assault and battery on Wednesday, after more than an hour of deliberation. The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on April 5, when Wilson and two other accomplices assaulted the victim in retaliation for testifying against Wilson’s cousin a few months earlier.

Wilson faces up to 15 years in prison for his crime, due to the fact he was convicted as a habitual offender.

“When you attack a witness, you strike at the heart of the criminal justice system,” said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz. “This thuggery will receive a harsh response in Cass County.”

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kirk Metzger presented evidence on behalf of the county, which included six witness testimonies, including that of the victim himself. Wilson presented no witnesses of his own, and did not testify.

According to testimony presented during the trial, Wilson and his accomplices confronted the victim at the Rotary Park in Dowagiac during the afternoon, punching him to the ground before kicking his head and torso. The prosecution claimed the assault was done in retaliation for the victim’s testimony given during the trial of Justin Young, who was related to Wilson and another attacker. Young was sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison after being found guilty of home invasion in February.

According to one witness, one of the attackers shouted, “this is for Jay, you gave my brother 15 years,” during the assault.

A number of people who spotted the assault shouted at the assailants to stop, to no avail.

“The citizens who came to the rescue of the witness are local heroes,” Fitz said. “They did their part in maintaining Cass County as a civilized community.”

The violence continued for a short while, until the three assailants left in their vehicle as a crowd began to gather around the act. One of the witnesses recorded the license plate number of the vehicle, which belonged to the girlfriend of one of the assailants.

Wilson is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 24.