BEDFORD – Scott Blattert, of Springville, was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday morning after being convicted of violently beating his children with industrial glue sticks and a belt.
Lawrence County Superior Court I Judge John Plummer III sentenced Blattert to 13 years in the Department of Corrections but suspended 18 months of that sentence to supervised probation. Blattert will serve 11 1/2 years in prison and was given credit for 28 days for time serviced. Upon his release, he was ordered to complete domestic violence and anger management classes.
Judge Plummer also ordered a no-contact order to remain in place for three of Blattert’s older children. The other no-contact orders with his younger children were voided upon his conviction.
Blattert who is now a convicted domestic violence felon can not legally possess a firearm.
Blattert’s children did not testify nor submit a written statement during the sentencing hearing.
Blattert however did testify this morning.
“It has been a long 3 1/2 years for myself and my wife,” Blattert said while wiping tears from his face. “We have endured difficulties. My wife heard a voice saying to fight for our children. I recognized that as the Holy Spirit… We were offered plea deals we refused them. They are our children they belong to us. We gave it all up to God and trusted in him. I was embarrassed to be arrested at work by a canine officer and publicly humiliated in the media, it is very humiliating.”
Judge Plummer did say Blattert did have an impressive academic and professional career working as a chemical engineer for 20 years at Crane. Since his arrest, Blattert was suspended without pay from Crane pending the outcome of the trial.
When asked by the prosecution if his children provoked him to beat them, Blattert said no.
“My actions were in response to their actions,” Blattert said. “I am allowed by God to discipline my children. I should not have been found guilty…. everything is justified before God. I accept the court’s opinion.”
Judge Plummer said there was a reason why Blattert and his wife used weapons when they disciplined their children and “that was to inflict pain”.
“They had a plan,” he added. “There was a pattern here hitting children with items other than their hands. It was indeed to inflict pain. It wasn’t a spanking or a pat on their rear ends. I was interested in if, and what he would say if he testified today.”
“He is not remorseful at all. He was only sorry he was convicted and sitting in jail,” added Judge Plummer while beating his hand on the bench. “There was no sorry for the way he treated his children. He beat his kids because God told him to do that He justified what he did to his children in the name of God and the Bible….It is very clear that the Freedom of Religion Act did not believe in this case not only mine but the Court of Appeal’s findings. There are lines, if there were no lines, people could kill their children in the name of God. The Bible is subject to interpretation but the law in Indiana is the law. I find there is zero remorse from this defendant, and he believes that he was commanded by God to do what he did. He intended to cause harm and she (Cherry Blattert) tracked their wrongdoings, then he came home and beat those children.”
“That video (which was played during the trial) was powerful evidence….You blamed those children for being children,” he added. “All children make mistakes There are limitations on how you discipline them. Over and over again you chose to use weapons, belts, and glue sticks to cause pain on purpose. These were beatings far and beyond what was needed.”
“You came in here today after spending 28 days in jail and still believe what you did was right before God. You blame the kids and use God’s command and the Bible. He blamed everyone but himself for these criminal actions.”
Blattert is appealing his conviction.
A Lawrence County Superior Court I jury found Blattert guilty on May 23, 2023, on five counts of domestic battery and one count of strangulation. The jury deliberated for more than 4 hours.
Blattert was arrested, posted a $5,000 cash bond, and released from jail on November 8, 2019. Judge Plummer issued a no-contact order with his children. The explicit video viewed by jurors was filmed on September 23, 2019, by Blattert’s oldest daughter.
Blattert’s two oldest daughters testified against their father saying their and their sibling’s punishments were increasingly becoming more violent.
Cherry Blattert is also charged in the case. She is facing charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and domestic battery. She is also facing a charge of invasion of privacy after violating the protective order by contacting her children. Her court date is pending.
Both Cherry and Scott are being represented by the same attorneys, Justin and John Boren, of Boren, Oliver & Coffey LLP in Bloomington.
Deputy Prosecutors Joshua Scherschel and Sarah Cummings present the case for the state.
The couple have 11 children. The children are all currently living with two foster families. One family has the couple’s five older children and another family has the couple’s six younger children. At the time of the incident, the couple only had 9 children. Cherry was pregnant with her 10th child and had another child after her arrest.
The couple previously attempted to use Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense in this case, arguing that physical punishment of children is outlined in the Bible in references to the Rod of Correction. This defense was struck down by Lawrence County Superior Court I Judge John Plummer III, a decision which Blattert appealed in the Indiana Court of Appeals. That court ultimately upheld, affirming Judge Plummer’s decision.
Blattert and his wife, Cherry, also filed a lawsuit against Indiana DCS, claiming the department’s decision to remove their children from their home violated their religious freedoms. Blattert’s case against DCS was dismissed on June 9, 2022, by Monroe Circuit Court IV Judge Catherine Stafford.
