Man who lost testicle may be spared jail

CINCINNATI, July 16 (UPI) -- An Ohio judge said he likely will not jail a man whose firearm possession violation cost him a testicle.

Thomas Hatfield, 30, pleaded guilty Thursday in Cincinnati to being a felon with a firearm after he accidentally shot off one of his own testicles May 4 with a .38-caliber semiautomatic handgun. He was banned from owning the gun because of his status as a convicted felon, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Thursday.

Police said Hatfield was also in possession of a single-shot 12-gauge shotgun.

"Because you injured yourself, that's kind of bad enough right there, so I'll consider probation," Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman told Hatfield after his guilty plea.

"Obviously," the judge told Hatfield, "you don't know a whole lot about firearms. You need to read the directions."

Hatfield, who has previous convictions for aggravated riot and attempted aggravated arson from 1997, is due to be sentenced Aug. 6.