Rick Dean
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http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/164345-2125-009.html
Michael A. Harney
Man gets 25 years in attack on his pregnant girlfriend
By Rob Schneider
rob.schneider@indystar.com
July 22, 2004
Michael A. Harney paused and then declined to speak Wednesday before being sentenced to 25 years in prison for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend and forcing her to drink industrial-strength cl
aner.
Looking down at the 48-year-old Harney, Marion Superior Court Judge Robert Altice had no trouble finding words to sum up the crime.
Altice called Harney's actions "incredibly he
inous." If Harney walked out of the courtroom Wednesday, Altice said, he had no doubt Harney would commit another crime.
The sentence, 121/2 years each on ch
arges of aggravated battery and criminal confinement that will run consecutively, were part of a plea agreement reached last month.
The Marion County prosecutor's office agreed to the terms because they ensured a lengthy sentence and spared the victim from having to relive the event during a trial, said Deputy Prosecutor Kristina Korobov.
The victim has moved out of state but still has physical scars and lost her fetus shortly after the attack.
According to court records, Harney bound his 31-year-old live-in girlfriend with duct tape and beat and raped her repeatedly on Nov. 20. The attack began after the woman found
Harney with a prostitute.
The Indianapolis Star does not identify victims of sexual assault.
The woman tried to escape, jumping out the window of their apartment in the 5700 block of East
Washington Street. Harney brought her back inside and forced her to drink liquid bathroom cleaner, prosecutors say.
Altice urged Harney to try to get his anger under control while in p
rison.
If he does, he might get out of prison by the time he is 60, the judge told him. Otherwise, Altice warned, Harney could end up serving his entire sentence.
Michael A. Harney
Man gets 25 years in attack on his pregnant girlfriend
By Rob Schneider
rob.schneider@indystar.com
July 22, 2004
Michael A. Harney paused and then declined to speak Wednesday before being sentenced to 25 years in prison for assaulting his pregnant girlfriend and forcing her to drink industrial-strength cl
aner.
Looking down at the 48-year-old Harney, Marion Superior Court Judge Robert Altice had no trouble finding words to sum up the crime.
Altice called Harney's actions "incredibly he
inous." If Harney walked out of the courtroom Wednesday, Altice said, he had no doubt Harney would commit another crime.
The sentence, 121/2 years each on ch
arges of aggravated battery and criminal confinement that will run consecutively, were part of a plea agreement reached last month.
The Marion County prosecutor's office agreed to the terms because they ensured a lengthy sentence and spared the victim from having to relive the event during a trial, said Deputy Prosecutor Kristina Korobov.
The victim has moved out of state but still has physical scars and lost her fetus shortly after the attack.
According to court records, Harney bound his 31-year-old live-in girlfriend with duct tape and beat and raped her repeatedly on Nov. 20. The attack began after the woman found
Harney with a prostitute.
The Indianapolis Star does not identify victims of sexual assault.
The woman tried to escape, jumping out the window of their apartment in the 5700 block of East
Washington Street. Harney brought her back inside and forced her to drink liquid bathroom cleaner, prosecutors say.
Altice urged Harney to try to get his anger under control while in p
rison.
If he does, he might get out of prison by the time he is 60, the judge told him. Otherwise, Altice warned, Harney could end up serving his entire sentence.
