Jeremiah E. Bolyard found guilty of Domestic Battery and Criminal Damage to Property

[August 14, 2018]  An Elkhart man has been found guilty for injuring his then girlfriend and damaging her vehicle.

On Monday, August 6, 2018, Judge William Workman convicted Jeremiah E. Bolyard of Domestic Battery and Criminal Damage to Property. Assistant State’s Attorney Hillary Hines presented evidence during a two-day bench trial that in January of 2017 Bolyard was involved in a verbal argument with his girlfriend. The argument turned physical when Bolyard pushed his girlfriend throughout his home and physically put her in the driver’s seat of her vehicle. When Bolyard’s girlfriend didn’t immediately leave his residence, Bolyard struck her vehicle’s windshield with a baseball bat, shattering the glass, causing glass to be embedded into her skin and leaving small lacerations on her body. Evidence was also presented that Bolyard had been violent toward a previous family member.

Judge Workman sentenced Bolyard to 24 months of Probation and 90 days of Logan County jail. Bolyard was also ordered to successfully complete anger management, mental health treatment, pay fines and costs, and not have any contact with the victim. Bolyard was given credit for 3 days spent in pre-trial detention and must serve 100% of his sentence. This is Bolyard’s first domestic battery conviction.

“The Logan County State’s Attorney’s Office is devoted to increasing victim safety and offender accountability. The State’s Attorney’s Office strongly believes that domestic violence is not a private matter.

Domestic violence is a social, economic, and public health concern,” said Logan County State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright. According to the Center for Disease Control, nationally, about 31.5% of women and 27.5% of men have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetimes.

Of these, about 22.3% of women and 14% of men have experience severe physical violence. In addition to immediate physical injuries, victims of domestic violence suffer long-term social and psychological harms such as being fearful or concerned for their safety; developing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder; missing school; and finding themselves in need of housing, legal services, and medical care.

Domestic violence is present in every community and affects all people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality. The Logan County State’s Attorney’s Office encourages anyone with knowledge of any domestic violence to report all incidents to law enforcement.

[Jonathan C. Wright
Logan County State’s Attorney]