Plea Agreement Would Give Woman Who Shot Husband In Back 10 Years

Penny Goddard has pleaded guilty to aggravated battery in connection with a 2016 shooting of her husband.

Penny Goddard. Photo by Switzerland County Sheriff's Office.

(Switzerland County, Ind.) – A Patriot woman accused of shooting her husband has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Penny Goddard, 45, was charged with Attempted Murder (level 1 felony) and Aggravated Battery (level 3 felony) in Switzerland County court in October 2016.

According to Switzerland County Sheriff’s Office investigators, Penny Goddard shot her husband, Bruce, in the lower back as he was walking out of their home on Devers Road. The two had been arguing about picking up prescription medication in Cincinnati.

Police found Penny unconscious in some nearby woods with a rifle next to her.

Goddard’s son said he arrived at the home just before police when his mother told him she shot Bruce in self-defense. Investigators, however, noted that Penny Goddard had no apparent injuries on her face, arms or hands.

Penny was in court with her attorney on Monday for a pre-trial conference with a September 11 trial date looming. A trial may not be necessary, however, as they and prosecutors submitted to the judge a joint motion in tender of a conditional negotiated plea.

According to the filing, Goddard would plead guilty to Aggravated Battery (level 3 felony) while the more serious Attempted Murder (level 1 felony) charge is dismissed.

The agreement must still be accepted by Judge Gregory Coy. If he signs off on it, Goddard faces a 10-year sentence. She would serve five years in prison followed by two years on in-home detention, then three years of supervised probation. She must also pay fines of $300, court costs of $185, and $300 to the county pauper counsel fund.

The plea agreement also notes that the state will not charge Goddard over a phone call which occurred February 15, 2018. The nature of that call is not detailed.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 24 in Vevay.

Although there were abuse allegations, Bruce Goddard was not charged in the shooting case. He filed for divorce the following January, court records show.

Goddard is ordered to have no contact with her now ex-husband, the plea agreement adds.

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