A few months ago, a Dowagiac man was arrested after an argument with his girlfriend over the show they were watching on TV escalated into violence.

As of Friday, the only programming he will be watching the next several months is whatever is being shown on the monitors at Cass County Jail.

Judge Michael Dodge sentenced 24-year-old Kyle Jeffery Hartman to 120 days in jail and two years of probation for a single count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder during his sentencing hearing that morning in Cass County court. The Dowagiac man pleaded guilty to the charge during an earlier appearance at the courthouse on June 1.

According to the court, the incident occurred back on April 22, at a residence on Orchard Street. During the course of an argument with his girlfriend, Michelle Benson, Hartman began to choke her, head butting her in the right eye.

Hartman was intoxicated at the time of the attack, which his defense attorney, Robert Drake, said was the reason for his violent and irrational outburst that evening.

“Her getting upset at you for what may have been on the TV, I can understand how an argument may erupt,” Judge Dodge said. “But you have to exercise more control, and you need to know now that your use of alcohol puts you in a position where you are not very good at exercising that control.”

The judge pointed out that Benson, with whom the defendant has two children, claimed that Hartman had attacked her in a similar fashion in the past.

Speaking on behalf the people, Assistant Prosecutor Kirk Metzger asked the judge to impose additional jail time on top of what the probation department’s recommendations.

“What’s particularly troubling about this case is the fact that Hartman went to a pretty dark place pretty quickly, over something relatively insignificant,” Metzger said.

In his statement to the judge, Hartman apologized for his actions that night.

“I lost my temper that night, and I really wish I hadn’t,” Hartman said. “I really feel guilty about it.”

Despite only having a single prior misdemeanor on his prior record, the judge did impose a jail term for the defendant, on top of his two years of probation.

“You got out of control, and you need to pay the price for what you did to the victim here,” Dodge said.

Hartman was given 65 days credit for time already served.