While the blame of what caused his violent outburst is undetermined, what is clear is that an Edwardsburg man will be spending the next few months in Cass County jail after destroying his ex-wife’s phone in a heated argument.

Cass County Circuit Judge Michael Dodge sentenced James Martin Bess, 35, to 240 days in jail during a sentencing hearing Friday morning at the Cass County Law and Courts Building in Cassopolis. Bess was punished for a single count of domestic violence, which he pleaded guilty to on April 27.

The incident in question occurred on Feb. 9, at his residence on Starbrick Street in Edwardsburg. In the midst of an argument with his ex-wife, Lori Cracauer, Bess took her cellphone and smashed it on the dashboard of her truck, and damaged the inside of her vehicle.

“I would imagine that probably caused her to be a little bit of afraid about what could happen,” Dodge said.

Bess’ conviction was his third for domestic violence, with the outburst coming while he was in the middle of serving a term of probation for a previous domestic altercation, Dodge said.

The Edwardsburg man has been battling issues concerning his mental health, which he was taking medication for at the time.

Cracauer brought up this point during her statement to the court that morning on behalf of her ex-husband, claiming that Bess had failed to receive the proper amount of medication from doctors in the county.

“I think I need to take him back to Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo, because he’s not getting what he needs here,” she said.

In his statement to the judge, Bess said he took responsibility for not taking his medication on that day, but he did try to get help for his condition, he said.

“My number one goal is to be the best husband and father I can be to my wife and kids,” Bess said.

While finding the prosecution’s request for a prison sentence to be excessive in this case, the judge decided to that probation would also not be suitable due to the fact he violated the terms of his previous stint with this crime, he said. Instead, he gave him a five-month jail sentence.

“In terms of your medication, you do have to take some responsibility,” Dodge said. “I don’t have any way to conclude that it’s all Cass County or Woodland Mental Health’s fault.”

Bess was given 110 days credit for time already served.