A man convicted in the severe beating of a Bismarck woman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

South Central District Judge Donald Jorgensen sentenced Ernest Coppage, 38, to 15 years in prison with five years suspended and five years of supervised probation for Class A felony attempted murder.

Coppage will get credit for 350 days he has served in the Burleigh County Detention Center since his arrest on Oct. 24, the day of the assault.

The assault took place in the early morning of Oct. 24 in a 23-year-old woman's apartment on North Sixth Street. The woman, Coppage's girlfriend at the time, and Coppage began fighting after she came home and found him using crack cocaine in the apartment with his friend. The woman slapped him, and he retaliated.

Coppage beat the woman with his fists and a toilet plunger, and used the plunger to choke her. He also stabbed her in the leg. Police found the woman on the kitchen floor with her eyes swollen shut and blood coming from her mouth. She had bruises on her arms and puncture wounds on her leg.

The woman spent three days in the hospital following the attack, and Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Lloyd Suhr said she is still dealing with physical and emotional problems from the attack.

Coppage was convicted on July 27 by a jury of nine women and three men.

Suhr, who prosecuted the case along with Assistant State's Attorney Pamela Nesvig, asked Jorgensen to sentence Coppage to 20 years with five years suspended and five years of supervised probation. Suhr said he was recommending a period of probation so Coppage would have time to pay $1,152.66 in restitution for the woman's medical bills.

Suhr said the severity of the assault combined with Coppage's lack of remorse prompted him to ask for the lengthy prison sentence. He said Coppage has acted as if he were the victim in the case and has blamed the victim for the incident. The woman's continued health problems also call for a long sentence, Suhr said.

"She's got to live with this the rest of her life,"Suhr said. "We could have been talking about a murder."

Coppage's defense attorney Kent Morrow recommended a sentence of five years with two years suspended. He said the attack was out of character for Coppage, who has no prior felony convictions, and was a result of drug and alcohol use.

"What I'm asking the court to do is address his chemical dependency issues," Morrow said. "Without those substance abuse problems, Ithink he is not a bad person."

Coppage told Jorgensen he has regretted and felt remorse for his actions, though he said he felt the information that came out at trial was biased against him. He said Suhr's recommendation was "outrageous."

"I really have not done or behaved like this ever in my life,"he said.

Jorgensen said he found it hard to believe that cocaine was the only reason for Coppage's actions. While Coppage's criminal history does not reflect a pattern of violent behavior, the judge believes Coppage's actions show an anger problem.

"Mr. Coppage, there's no way you or I or anyone else can appreciate what this young woman has went through," Jorgensen said.

Jorgensen ordered Coppage to have no contact with the victim, not use alcohol or drugs and to follow up on any treatment recommended by his parole or probation officer. He also ordered him to pay $1,050 in court fees and $1,152.66 in restitution.

The judge advised Coppage that he has the right to appeal the conviction to the state Supreme Court within 30 days.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)