GREENVILLE — The Greenville woman who stabbed her husband outside McMiller’s Carryout in Greenville in April will spend more than a year in prison.
Darke County Common Pleas Court Judge Jonathan P. Hein sentenced Angela D. Bergman, 32, to 18 months in prison, with 113 days of jail time credited, for the April 27, 2017, stabbing of her husband, Anthony Bergman with serrated knives she took from the couple’s kitchen.
Bergman pleaded guilty in October to an amended charge of attempted felonious assault, a third-degree felony. She faced up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Bergman’s provocation for the attack was her belief her husband was molesting their son. As a result of the assault, Mr. Bergman suffered four stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, as well as less serious wounds to the arms, hands, and wrists, according to prosecutors. She reportedly had to be tazed by officers when attempting to attack him again after initially being subdued by police. Bergman’s husband was treated for the injuries and recovered physically. He submitted a written statement to the court but did not speak.
Darke County Prosecuting Attorney R. Kelly Ormsby, while noting the defendant’s mental health issues, nonetheless asked the court to impose some prison time.
“I think in this case the injuries are so severe, the court has to look at a prison sanction,” he said.
Randall Breaden, Bergman’s defense attorney, instead asked for probation, saying his client before this incident had no criminal record and had suffered a “psychotic episode” on the day in question.
“She clearly is not going to benefit, with the mental health state that she has, in prison,” he argued.
Bergman offered only a short statement, apologizing to her husband, saying, “Anthony, I’m so sorry for hurting you and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Judge Hein said while Bergman’s concerns for her son may have been legitimate, and while her mental state may have been a “component” of her act, it was no excuse for attacking her husband.
“If your son was being molested, self help is never a remedy, and there’s been years of opportunities, if in fact that was reality, for you to find ways to get out. It’s never appropriate to settle it with any kind of violence,” he said.
In addition to her prison sentence, Bergman must pay court costs and will be subject to up to three years of post-release community control. She was immediately placed into custody for transportation to the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio, to begin her sentence.
