Siamuel Stemen, 30, of Plymouth, was sentenced today (March 18, 2015) in Marshall Superior Court No. 1 to 16 years imprisonment for aggravated battery, with an additional enhancement of 10 years of imprisonment for a total of 26 years. In open court, Stemen had previously admitted that on July 5, 2014 he had beaten an adult family member so severely he created a substantial risk of death to the victim. He also admitted to having at least two prior unrelated felony convictions that makes him an Habitual Offender and eligible for an enhanced sentence. In exchange for the plea of guilty, the State dismissed a charge of Attempted Murder and Strangulation.
Judge Robert O. Bowen approved an agreement reached between Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier and defense attorney Tom A. Black. The victim had input in the recommendations to the court and expressed approval of the result.
Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman stated, “Siamuel Stemen is a mere 30 years old. Since he reached the age of 18, he has incurred five felony and seven misdemeanor convictions. A few of those convictions consist of Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon; Resisting Law Enforcement in 2007 and 2010; Sexual Battery by Force in 2010 and Strangulation in 2012. He has been sentenced for those offenses to over 12 ½ years of imprisonment. And still, he didn’t hesitate to almost beat to death a close family member. This is his sixth felony conviction in his 12 years as an adult. Civilized society is entitled to protect itself from people like Siamuel Stemen by a very long prison sentence.”
The case began in the early morning hours of July 5, 2014, when Plymouth Police Officer Paul Stamper was dispatched to the LaPorte Street address of the victim. Upon his arrival, Stamper found the home in utter disarray with tables overturned and numerous household items destroyed and large amounts of blood. Stamper’s report described the state of the house “as if a tornado had ripped through the home from the inside.” Officer Christopher Miller found the victim at a neighbor’s house seeking aid. The victim was able to identify her assailant as Siamuel Stemen.
Police conducted an initial search for Stemen but he was not found. With the arrival of Marshall County Officer Brandon Cooper, a secondary search was conducted and Stemen was found hiding under a child’s bed. Stemen was forcibly removed from his hiding place.
Chipman noted, “That even while in jail and awaiting sentencing, when most inmates are on their best behavior, Stemen was classified as a “Maximum Risk” inmate, incurred discipline for a battery on another inmate, and threw a mop bucket destroying a television. This resulted in his removal from the general jail population.”
Chipman also emphasized, “It’s important for our community to know how serious we take habitual criminals. Individuals charged with a serious offense, and who have two or more prior unrelated felony convictions in their past, can expect my office to prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law. For too long we downplayed criminal histories and agreed to relatively brief periods of imprisonment, only to have them return to our communities and again victimizing the law abiding. No more. They can expect that if an Habitual Offender enhancement is filed, a long prison sentence will result.”
