***MEDIA ADVISORY***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2015

RICHMOND BATTERS WIFE IN FRONT OF 5 CHILDREN, JURY CONVICTS

Media Contact: Curtis T. Hill, Jr. (574) 296-1888

On Wednesday, January 28, 2015 a six person jury in Elkhart County Superior Court 1 found defendant Joshua Richmond guilty of Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child, a Class D felony. On April 14, 2014, Joshua Richmond tackled his wife to the ground after an argument regarding his use of synthetic marijuana. Joshua Richmond's wife hit her head on their hardwood floor and experienced dizziness, pain, and an immediate migraine. The defendant remained on top of her, continuing to batter her until two men who were at the residence to remove him from the home were able to get him up and out of the house.

These events took place while the couples’ five children, ages 8 to 2 years old, were inside the residence and watched the incident. The victim testified that when she was slammed to the ground, she landed at the feet of one of them.

The defendant originally testified that the touching of his wife was done out of fear for his personal safety because she was continuously hitting him about the head and face. He later admitted that he had taken his wife to the floor while she was blocking his path into other parts of the residence where the children were located after he had become irate and destroyed property throughout the home. He also admitted that he could have simply left the residence several times prior to the battery.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 2, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., and the defendant is facing up to three years at the Indiana Department of Correction.

This case was tried by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kathleen Gring in Elkhart Superior Court 1.

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“Under Indiana law, all persons arrested for a criminal offense are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”