Man sentenced to prison after injuring a woman during domestic dispute

BEDFORD – Lawrence County Superior Court I Judge John Plummer III sentenced a Bedford man to the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Dalton O. Sosh

On December 27, 2023, 31-year-old Dalton O. Sosh pled guilty to a charge of domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, and strangulation, a Level 6 felony.

Judge Plummer III sentenced Sosh to five years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, with one year suspended to supervised probation upon release.

Sarah Cummings

“Domestic violence is about power and control,” said Deputy Prosecutor Sarah Cummings. “The Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to helping break that cycle of violence. The Defendant has a history of domestic violence and has never sought treatment to halt this cycle of power and control. Today’s sentence by Judge Plummer is a chance for the defendant to break that cycle while in prison, be rehabilitated, and return to the community upon release.”

He was arrested in March 2022 after Lawrence County Central Dispatch received a 911 call from a female who had locked herself in a bathroom after being involved in a physical altercation Sosh.

When deputies arrived at the home in the 2690 block of  Ramsey Ridge Road, a female walked out of the residence and met with the officer on the front porch.  She told police Sosh had taken off on foot. 

Police say the woman had multiple injuries to her face, head, neck, left wrist, and arm. An ambulance was summoned to the scene. 

The woman told officers they had friends over, and all of them had been drinking. Sosh had asked the woman to help him to bed due to his level of intoxication. The woman told police she got Sosh partially on the bed and went to grab his legs and put them on the bed when he grabbed her shirt and pulled on it, causing it to rip. He told her he didn’t like how she was placing him in the bed, so he grabbed her shirt. She then smacked him on the back of the head. Sosh immediately jumped on her, pinning her to the bedroom floor, and began punching her and wouldn’t stop. She had to bite Sosh to get him off of her. He then grabbed her around the neck and started choking her. She finally got him off of her, ran to the bathroom, and locked the door.

The woman then requested Google to call the police, but Sosh had unplugged the system and took off.

The woman requested to file charges. She was then transported by ambulance to St. Vincent Dunn Hospital for treatment.

Officers found Sosh at a nearby friend’s house and detained him. Sosh was also transported to IU Health Bedford for treatment of his injuries. After being released, he was transported to jail on charges of battery resulting in bodily injury, domestic battery in the presence of a minor, and interfering with reporting a crime.

If you or someone you know is involved in a domestic violence situation and needs help, call Hoosier Hills PACT 24-hour crisis line at 1-888-883-1959 or visit their website at https://www.pactchangeslives.com/.

The agency can provide emergency assistance to those in domestic violence situations.  Hoosier Hills PACT also assists with court advocacy, protective orders, education, outreach programs, support groups, and more.