Man gets 90 days for battery
A Cloverdale man will spend 90 days on home detention for a conviction on a domestic battery charge.
Jerry Alan Haltom, 50, was sentenced by Judge Robert Lowe Friday in Putnam County Superior Court. In exchange for a guilty plea to a charge of Class D felony domestic battery, charges of Class D felony battery resulting in bodily injury and Class A misdemeanor domestic battery against Haltom were dropped.
Haltom actually received the maximum three-year sentence for the charge. He had the option of serving either 60 days in jail or 90 days on home detention, with the balance of the sentence to be suspended and served on probation.
According to court documents, Haltom was arrested Dec. 9, 2007 after police responded to a 911 call. Haltom's victim told police he had "started choking her, and then struck her in the face and slammed her head into the wall," a police report from the Cloverdale Police Department said.
The victim, the report said, feared for her life and called 911 without Haltom's knowledge. Police on the scene found "large, hand-sized red marks" on both sides of the victim's neck.
At the scene, Haltom admitted only to pushing the victim down, the report said. In court Friday, he said he didn't remember any of the specifics about the evening in question, but did admit to causing the victim physical pain.
Haltom must also complete 40 hours of community service and take domestic battery awareness and anger management classes, both of which he must pay for himself.
"You have lots of time to get these done, but I wouldn't wait too long," Lowe said.
At the time of his arrest, $1,000 bond -- 10 percent of the $10,000 bond was set at -- was posted for Haltom by a family member. That money will go toward costs and fees associated with the case, Lowe said.
Haltom's past criminal history includes a conviction for Class A misdemeanor battery.