Land sentenced to 8 concurrent years
GREENCASTLE -- A Greencastle man convicted of battering his mother was sentenced in Putnam County Circuit Court Thursday to eight years in jail.
Seth Land, 23, was convicted of felony aggravated battery. His Putnam County sentence will run concurrently with a Wayne County sentence imposed on Nov. 23. In that case, which began in April 2007, Land was convicted of Class B felonies aggravated battery and escape and Class D felony battery. Land received an eight-year sentence in that case with no time suspended and credit for 228 actual days.
Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter said Land pled "guilty, but mentally ill" to the Putnam County charge.
Land was arrested in Putnam County on May 18, 2009. On May 15, 2009, Land attacked his mother, Sharon Land, at her home, beating her so badly that she was hospitalized. Sharon Land suffered various injuries as a result of the attack, including the loss of an eye.
Police reports said Land, who has suffered from a variety of mental illnesses including schizopherenia, admitted to police that he and his mother had gotten into a fight.
At the scene of the incident, Land identified himself to police as "Adolph Hitler," court records said. He also told officers that an "evil spirit" had entered his body.
Sharon Land was taken to Putnam County Hospital, but was later transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where she underwent surgery.
She told police that she had been in bed when her son attacked her, and that he had not used any weapons in the attack other than his bare hands.
A witness to the incident told police that Land had been off his medication for a couple of months.
After his arrest, Land, who was exhibiting erratic behavior, was sent to the Wabash Correctional Facility.
Land could have been sentenced to a maximum of 20 years. Originally, he was charged with two counts of Class B felony aggravated battery. His bond was set at $100,000 cash only, and he has been in jail since his arrest.