A man convicted of following a man to a car and assaulting him after being told to raise the mask on his face in November was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday.

Shane Wayne Michael, 42, of Saylor Township was arrested and charged after the Nov. 11 assault at the Vision 4 Less eyewear at 3945 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. A jury convicted Michael of willful injury causing serious injury last month.  

According to a criminal complaint, Michael followed the victim out of the business early that afternoon. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that Michael was wearing his mask down slightly and had his nose exposed. The victim asked Michael to correct the positioning of his mask, according to the story. A police report said Michael told police they then "exchanged words." 

Michael told police the victim shoulder-checked him into a vehicle and jabbed his thumb into Michael's stomach. Michael told police that he then held the victim on the ground to defend himself. The victim then bit Michael's left arm, according to the police report, so Michael jabbed his left finger into the victim's left eye.

The victim told police that, as he walked to his car, Michael cornered him, began to assault him and took him to the ground. While on the ground, Michael began gouging the victim's eye and kneed him in the genitals, according to the report, so the victim bit Michael to get him off of him.

The victim also said that Michael coughed in his face, spit on him and said "'If I have it, you have it,'" according to the report.

Three witnesses identified Michael as the aggressor in the fight, according to the complaint. The victim suffered a swollen left eye, according to the complaint and court records.

Philip Joens covers breaking news for The Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-443-3347 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.