LISBON — A Youngstown woman who scaled a fence to escape a Lisbon lockup, stole a car and ran over the car owner’s foot while fleeing last summer has been sentenced to at least eight years in prison.

Ashley Croley, 38, appeared for sentencing Thursday afternoon before Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam, expressing remorse for her actions that injured Lisbon resident Timothy Felt.

“What I did was wrong. I’m sorry for what I did,” Croley said.

Felt spoke briefly when given his chance, telling the judge the actions of the defendant that day resulted in his wife taking off weeks of work and cost him a job opportunity.

“My bones grind every step that I take. I still struggle to this day,” he said.

Defense attorney James Wise and three supporters of the defendant all asked for a lesser sentence than the nine years the prosecution recommended, citing Croley’s issues with substance abuse.

Assistant Prosecutor Alec Beech recommended a 24-month term for the third-degree felony escape charge, a 12-month term for the fourth-degree felony grand theft of a motor vehicle charge and then six years for the felonious assault charge, a second-degree felony, all to be served consecutively. A third-degree felony vehicular assault charge was merged with the felonious assault for sentencing.

Washam sentenced Croley to 24 months for the escape, 12 months for the vehicle theft and six years for the felonious assault, with the first two counts to be served at the same time, but consecutive to the felonious assault charge, for the total of eight years. If the Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation chooses, she could face additional time after the eight years. Her license was suspended for one year.

Croley entered a guilty plea to all four counts of the indictment Monday, choosing to forego her jury trial that was supposed to start that day.

Beech said that Croley made several choices on the day of her escape, which resulted in serious injury to an innocent man.

On Aug. 5, Croley hid inside the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, a community-based facility for women, located in Lisbon. While everyone else was at dinner, she exited through an unlocked door into the fenced-in yard, climbed the fence and escaped. Within a matter of minutes, she ended up at the East of Chicago Pizza restaurant parking lot. She noticed keys on the passenger side seat of a parked blue Chevrolet Cobalt, got inside and started it up. Felt, the owner of the car who had been picking up an order, came outside and saw what was happening. He ran up to his vehicle and opened the driver-side door in an attempt to stop Croley from stealing it. Croley put the car in reverse, causing Felt to get caught in the door, then ran over his foot.

“He described the pain as excruciating,” Beech said.

Croley left tire marks in the parking lot as she absconded from the county and ended up in Youngstown, which is where the car was found over a week later. Beech said the car had been trashed. Croley was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on Sept. 28 in Youngstown.

Besides her actions, Beech pointed to Croley’s criminal history and the fact that she has pending felonies in Mahoning County for breaking and entering charges.