By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Stephen Jon Bennett

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was released on time served and will serve one year on probation after battering a woman.

Stephen Jon Bennett, 31, Warsaw, was charged with domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a level 6 felony. Five additional charges, including a Level 6 felony sexual battery charge, were all dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Bennett was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court One on Monday, April 4.

On Dec. 17, 2021, a Warsaw Police officer responded to a battery report. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a woman who said Bennett had battered her.

According to court documents, the woman said she was getting ready for work when Bennett, who had been drinking all night, said he wanted to have sex with her. When the woman told him no, Bennett grabbed the woman and threw her onto a bed, pinned her arms down and started sucking on her neck.

Bennett then grabbed the woman and forced her to the floor. He put his index fingers in the woman’s mouth and stretched her cheeks out.

Officers noticed several marks on the woman, including the hand, throat, and neck.

Bennett was previously convicted of domestic battery in Goshen in 2018.

During court proceedings, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joseph Sobek requested the no-contact order between Bennett and the woman remain in effect.

Defense Attorney Nicholas Jacobs told Kosciusko Superior Court One Judge Karin McGrath that Bennett has been incarcerated on this case since Dec. 17, 2021.

For domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, Judge McGrath sentenced Bennett to 1 1/2 years in the Kosciusko County Jail. Six months of the sentence were ordered to be executed and one year was suspended on probation. With jail time credit plus good time credit, Bennett has already served the executed portion of his sentence.

A no-contact order between Bennett and the woman remains in effect. Through a domestic violence determination, Bennett cannot possess a firearm.