A San Juan Island man who knocked a 60-year-old man unconscious with a devastating blow to the back of the head — and then dashed out the back door of a Friday Harbor bar — was sentenced to seven months in jail for felony assault.

On Oct. 14, Randon A. Gilfillan, 22, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of second-degree assault and was ordered to serve seven months in jail when sentenced the following week. He also was ordered to pay $1,650 in fines and fees, and received credit for having served 21 days of the sentence since his arrest in late September.

Under the sentence handed down by Superior Court judge pro-tem Stewart Andrew, Gilfillan will be allowed to serve seven months on work crew in lieu of jail. He would participate on work crew at his own expense should the Sheriff’s department determine that he’s eligible for that sentencing alternative.

A Class B felony, second-degree assault carries maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is 6-12 months in jail.

According to court documents, Gilfillan was seeking revenge on his brother’s behalf when he burst through the back door of a crowded Friday Harbor bar on Sept. 4 and, with a fist, delivered a brutal blow to the back of the 60-year-old man’s head in a case of mistaken identity.

The man, a resident of British Columbia who, along with friends, has bicycled in the San Juans over Memorial Day weekend for nearly 30 years, was standing near a local man who reportedly had offended Gilfillan’s brother in an earlier altercation, at the time of the attack.

In addition to knocking the 60-year-old unconscious, the blow caused a gash to the man’s head that required 10 staples to close. He was flown to a mainland hospital for treatment in the wake of the assault.

According to court records, Judge Andrew, at the sentencing hearing, called the attack “ferocious and cowardly”.

A restitution hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20

— Scott Rasmussen