Michael Alan Cavender

WARSAW — Michael A. Cavender, 49, 604 E. Miami Drive, Syracuse, was sentenced today, May 5, in Superior Court I on a count of battery, a level 6 felony.

Cavender was sentenced for striking a man several times in the mouth while the man was sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle. The charge of battery was a class A misdemeanor, but was enhanced to a level 6 felony due to a prior conviction.

Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz said, “Honestly, what happened in this case was not the worst crime we’ve ever seen in this court, not close to the worst…even though it’s not the worst crime, this is the worst criminal history we’ve seen.”

When asked if he had anything he’d like to say, Cavender told the court, “I want to apologize to everyone involved, they’re not here, though…to my family.”

Superior Court I Judge David Cates sentenced Cavender to 2 1/2 years at the Kosciusko County Jail, suspending six months of the sentence with 178 days of jail-time credit. Cates told Cavender that he could go into work release when and if he qualifies.

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