BEDFORD – Lawrence Superior Court II Judge Bob Cline had strong words of reprimand for a Mitchell man as he sentenced him to eight years in prison Thursday for hurting his grandmother and killing her cat.
“I’d rather you hit me than my dog,” Judge Bob Cline told 24-year-old Mark R. Gardner during the man’s sentencing hearing. “… And to do this to your grandmother? That’s despicable and deplorable, really.”
Gardner admitted in court Thursday afternoon that he battered his grandmother, then killed her cat in an incident that happened in August as a part of a negotiated plea agreement with the State of Indiana. As a part of the plea, Gardner was sentenced to 910 days (730 days executed) in the Indiana Department of Correction for domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a Level 6 felony; and 910 days (730 days executed) in the IDOC for killing a domestic animal, a Level 6 felony. In addition, his sentence was enhanced by two years for being a habitual offender. Cline also sentenced him to an additional 900 days in prison for violating the probation he was on for a January 2021 possession of methamphetamine case.
In total, Gardner will serve more than eight years in prison for his crimes. Once his prison time is executed, he will serve one year on probation.
“This plea was negotiated while carefully considering the victim’s wishes, the defendant’s criminal history, and the sadistic crimes committed against his own grandmother while killing her beloved cats,” said Lawrence County Deputy Prosecutor Lisa Kempf, who negotiated the plea agreement on behalf of the State of Indiana.
“The State believed a maximum sentence was appropriate. Crimes against innocent people cannot go unpunished, and considering the atrocity of his actions, we must demand the defendant accept responsibility for what he has done,” Kempf added.
As a part of the plea, Gardner was asked what happened to his grandmother’s second cat, which could not be located following the crime. Through his attorney Bruce Andis, he told the court that he could not remember what became of the second cat.
