ANDERSON — A man faces 20 to 50 years in prison after he pleaded guilty recently to kidnapping an Anderson attorney at knifepoint in July.
Richard L. Hudson, 52, Anderson, pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Dec. 23 to kidnapping and armed robbery for abducting attorney Thomas E. Hamer in July. Hudson faces 20 to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced in February, Deputy Prosecutor Rudolph Pyle III said Monday.
However, Pyle declined to say how long of a sentence he’ll ask Madison Superior Court 1 Judge Dennis Carroll to impose.
“I’m looking forward to the sentencing,” the deputy prosecutor said Monday. “It’ll be a sentence that is just punishment for what he did.”
Hudson’s public defender, Thomas G. Godfrey, also declined to say what kind of sentence he’ll ask the judge to give. But, the attorney said, he will argue that Hudson’s mental illness is a mitigating factor.
“I think he was certainly (mentally) ill at the time,” Godfrey said, “and that’s something we’ll bring up.”
In the plea agreement, a felony charge of resisting police and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving will be dismissed at sentencing. Hudson’s guilty but mentally ill plea means he’ll receive mental health treatment while behind bars. His exact mental illness wasn’t immediately known. He was scheduled to stand trial in January.
According to court documents:
Hudson kidnapped Hamer, Anderson, on July 7, while the two were returning to Madison County after a civil court hearing in Indianapolis.
Hudson was previously being held at the jail on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge; police allege he beat his live-in girlfriend in June. His attorney received permission from Anderson City Court officials to transport Hudson to Indianapolis for a Social Security disability hearing on July 7.
When the two returned to Anderson and neared the jail, Hudson quickly got out of Hamer’s SUV, climbed into the rear and held a knife to the lawyer’s throat. They drove to an Anderson cemetery, where Hudson tied up Hamer. Hudson then drove to Rangeline Nature Preserve and released the lawyer. Hamer was able to free himself and get help. He suffered only minor injuries in the attack.
Prosecutors also charged Hudson with resisting and reckless driving for leading police on a high-speed chase through Anderson after stealing a pickup in Chesterfield on July 12, shortly after midnight.
He was apprehended not long afterward. However, before Anderson officers could take Hudson into custody near the intersection of Scatterfield Road and East 32nd Street, he slashed his throat several times with a box cutter.
Reached Monday, Hamer declined comment.
“Not until the sentencing,” Hamer said, also declining to say whether he will testify at sentencing. “I don’t want to say anything that might influence the judge unless it’s in the courtroom.”
What’s next?
Madison Superior Court 1 Judge Dennis Carroll will sentence Richard Hudson at 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2. Hudson faces 20 to 50 years for kidnapping.
Cops, courts and fires
Hudson pleads guilty to kidnapping attorney
- Cops, courts and fires
-
-
Arrest log: Feb. 7
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on Madison County Jail records.
-
Police: Woman victim of strong-arm robbery
Police were searching for a man accused of confronting a woman and forcefully stealing her purse Monday night.
-
Suits Filed: Feb. 6
Lawsuits filed in Madison County courts through Jan. 26, 2012
-
Man confesses to killing Anderson woman
Anderson police have arrested Eddie Hargrow of Anderson in connection with the stabbing death of Beverly Burnett. According to Anderson police spokesman Officer Chad Boynton, Hargrow turned himself in around 11 p.m. Saturday night and gave a full confession.
-
Anderson woman killed in stabbing
Beverly Burnett, 48, of Anderson, was pronounced dead at Saint John's Medical Center late Saturday night, the victim of a stabbing, according to Anderson police spokesman Officer Chad Boynton.
-
Two arrested in connection with Elwood meth lab
Police arrested an Elwood couple for manufacturing methamphetamine and removed their young child from the home who had been exposed to the lab.
-
Arrest made in Friday night shooting
Police arrested a 22-year-old Anderson man they say shot his roommate in the back late Friday after the two got into an argument.
-
Brothers arrested, charged with trafficking
Two men were being held at the Madison County Jail Friday after being arrested and charged with felonies at the Pendleton Correctional Facility Thursday night.
-
Arrest log: Feb. 4
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on Madison County Jail records.
-
Police respond to shooting on 10th Street
Police responded late Friday evening to a reported shooting at a residence on West 10th Street.
- More Cops, courts and fires Headlines
-
Arrest log: Feb. 7
