Etna Green Man To Serve Time In Prison For Domestic Battery
By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews
Dalton Ray Fugate
WARSAW — An Etna Green man with a prior domestic battery conviction will serve 2 1/2 years in prison for battering a woman.
Dalton Ray Fugate, 29, 210 S. Main St. Apartment 5, Etna Green, was charged with domestic battery with a prior conviction, a level 5 felony; and invasion of privacy, a class A misdemeanor. Three additional charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Fugate’s probation in an intimidation and domestic battery case was also provoked. In that case, Fugate had received a five-year sentence with three years executed and two years suspended on probation.
Fugate was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court One on Thursday, Feb. 29.
For domestic battery with a prior conviction, Kosciusko Superior Court One Judge Karin McGrath sentenced Fugate to four years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with 1 1/2 years suspended on formal probation. Fugate also received a six-month DOC sentence for invasion of privacy, with the entirety suspended on probation. Both counts will be served back-to-back.
In total, Fugate received a 4 1/2 year sentence, with 2 1/2 years executed and two years on probation. He has 198 days of jail time credit toward his probation violation.
Fugate is required to participate in a domestic violence intervention program and is prohibited from possessing firearms. The no-contact order between Fugate and the victim in this case was terminated.
At sentencing, the woman Fugate battered testified in court, saying that Fugate is “a very loving and caring person when he’s sober.”
“Dalton is not a bad person but you only know him from what’s stated in court documents,” said the woman. “During these incidents, he’s been under the influence and becomes very hateful. I don’t condone what he did but it’s time for Dalton to help himself.”
She asked McGrath to offer Fugate the help and resources he needs to succeed.
“His best will outweigh his worst,” said the woman.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dan Hampton asked the court to consider Fugate’s prior conduct and noted he was very impressed with the victim’s statement.
Defense Attorney Jay Rigdon said Fugate wanted to serve part of his sentence at DOC to get his GED.
Fugate apologized to both the woman and his probation officer in court, thanking the woman for standing by him during his struggles.
“I hope when all this is over, it wasn’t a waste of the victim’s time to get up here and testify,” said McGrath.
On July 31, 2023, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a domestic complaint in Etna Green. A woman said Fugate grabbed her by the throat and shoved her into a dresser. He then grabbed her hair and throat, placing her in a headlock.
Fugate was previously convicted of domestic battery in Kosciusko County in May 2022. The woman involved in the July 31 incident was also the victim in that case.
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