A 29-year-old Lowville man was recently sentenced to five years in state prison for domestic violence incidents. The man, who was a surgical resident at a Syracuse hospital, pleaded guilty in January to felony charges of first-degree criminal contempt and second-degree assault.

The man was charged assault because in July 2010 he beat a friend of his ex-girlfriend's with a baseball bat. He was also accused of committing further  instances of domestic violence from July 2010 to March 2011. His guilty plea in connection with the July 2010 incident satisfies other charges filed in connection with those occasions.

The contempt charge came from later ignoring an order not to contact his ex-girlfriend, to whom he made repeated threatening phone calls and visits. He also vandalized her home.

The judge in the case chided the man for not accepting responsibility for his own actions. Throughout the trial, the man blamed his girlfriend, the assault victim, the court and his first criminal defense attorney for his situation. The judge said he interpreted that as the man shifting the blame and not admitting that he could not control his own jealous rages.

The man will now spend five years in state prison and must have no contact with the ex-girlfriend until at least the year 2025. He also lost his job at the hospital because of the domestic violence arrest and has placed his entire medical career at risk.

As you can see, domestic violence charges can carry very serious consequences. It is for this reason that it may be a good idea to work with a criminal defense attorney if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

Source: The Syracuse Post-Standard, "Former surgical resident sent to prison for domestic violence incidents," Jim O'Hara, Feb. 22, 2012