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Inset: Michael Besozzi II (Brooke County Prosecuting Attorney). The home in Weirton, W. Va., where prosecutors say Michael Besozzi caused his landlord to fall off scaffolding following a dispute over loud music (Google Maps).
A man from West Virginia confronted his landlord over what he described as “loud music” and “singing while working on siding.” This confrontation escalated when he shook and pushed the scaffolding his landlord was using, leading to the landlord’s fall and subsequent serious injuries after the landlord “blew a kiss” at him, according to prosecutors.
Michael Besozzi II, aged 36, received a prison sentence ranging from one to five years for this incident that took place in April 2024 in Weirton. He entered an Alford plea, according to an announcement made by the Brooke County Prosecuting Attorney’s office on Saturday.
Details from a criminal complaint, accessed by Law&Crime on Monday, reveal that the landlord sustained a separated shoulder and a torn rotator cuff as a result of the fall.
Besozzi faced charges of unlawful assault and, in August, opted for an Alford plea. This plea does not admit guilt but acknowledges that the prosecution possesses sufficient evidence to likely secure a conviction in court.
The complaint states, “Mr. Besozzi claimed that his landlord, Mr. Barger, was outside playing loud music and singing while installing siding.” Besozzi reportedly asked the landlord to lower the volume, to which the landlord responded by blowing a kiss at him.
Besozzi recounted to police that he initially returned inside his residence but later came back out to speak to the landlord once more. The complaint notes, “Mr. Besozzi grabbed the scaffolding firmly and shouted, ‘Keep it down.’” Besozzi told authorities he did not shake the scaffolding.
Police spoke to the landlord at the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries, and were told that Besozzi “started pushing his scaffolding and that he fell to the ground,” according to the complaint. Officers responded that Saturday to the home at 245 Elmer Avenue in Weirton and found the landlord being treated by EMTs.
Besozzi was arrested and initially charged with misdemeanor assault. His charge was later upgraded to felony malicious or unlawful assault following a court appearance.
