Ohio man who bit off part of wife's lover's ear is sentenced

TOLEDO, Ohio -- An Ohio man who bit off part of his wife's lover's ear after finding them in bed together has been sentenced to six months in a correctional treatment center.

Forty-year-old Virgil Bates III, of Toledo, must also pay the victim $5,600 and spend four months in a work-release program.

He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault this month and was sentenced Monday. Authorities say Bates confronted his wife and her lover in June, leading to a fight.

Bates told a judge the man bit his arm during the fight, prompting him to bite back. The missing ear part couldn't be reattached.

His attorney says it's a fair outcome. Bates and his wife had been separated for two years but have since reconciled.