A Cassopolis area man who grabbed and shoved his wife through a doorway and onto a concrete pathway had a bad day of his own on Tuesday.

A six-person jury spent less than five minutes of deliberation before they found Keith Foster Jr., 29, guilty of a count of domestic violence during his trial at the Cass County Law and Courts building in Cassopolis. Following the verdict, Judge Stacey Rentfrow to 200 days in jail and one year of probation, along with alcohol testing, mandatory anger management counseling, restitution, court costs and fines.

“Domestic violence has far reaching negative effects and cannot be tolerated in a civil society,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kirk Metzger, who tried the case on behalf of the people. “The Cass County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to pursue these
cases aggressively.”

During Tuesday’s proceedings, jurors heard testimony from the victim, who said on December 12, 2014, during a verbal argument, Foster grabbed her and forced her through the front doorway. He cut his finger on the screen door as they went through the doorway, causing him to bleed on her shirt as he had her pinned to ground.

She further testified that he threw her to the ground a second time before he ceased the assault. After going back into the house, the defendant fled the scene when he found out that his wife had called 911.

Officer Darr Phillips of the Cassopolis Police Department investigated the incident, and testified that when the victim reported the crime immediately after he arrived on scene. He did not observe any injuries to the victim but observed the man’s blood on her shirt and throat. Phillips took photographs of the bloodstains as well as the defendant’s sunglasses that he dropped on the concrete path where he had assaulted the victim.  These photographs were admitted into evidence.

The jury also heard testimony from that victim of a prior domestic assault by Foster in 2011 that occurred in Dowagiac, as well as his recent attempts to influence the victim to not show up and testify at trial.