On leading of the misdemeanor charges, Sanchez is also facing a more serious charge – a felony charge of battery involving serious bodily injury – after investigators were informed of the extent of the victim’s injuries.
“This was a situation that did not need to occur,” Mears said during a news conference on October 6. “The allegations involve a 38-year-old man becoming involved in an altercation with a 69-year-old man who sustained significant and very serious injuries.”
According to court documents, the truck driver “suffered a severe laceration to the side of his face, penetrating all the way through his left cheek.” ABC News shared the gruesome image of the victim’s injuries, which Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV obtained.
Mears explained that Sanchez’s Level 5 felony charge of battery carries a sentence of one to six years in prison.
“One of the challenges you have in a case like this is that you are dealing with individuals who are receiving medical care, and that’s, obviously, the most important thing, that individuals are treated appropriately,” Mears said. “But once we were provided with additional information about the victim’s current medical condition, it became clear to us that additional charges needed to be filed.”
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