CROWN POINT | Darius Washington was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison for the violent attempted robbery of a Times newspaper carrier, Lake Criminal Court records show.

The 23-year-old Hammond man pleaded guilty July 23 to felony attempted robbery under a plea agreement with Lake County prosecutors. He initially was charged with attempted robbery, attempted criminal deviate conduct, carjacking, three counts of criminal confinement and two counts of battery and theft, all felonies.

A 31-year-old Hammond woman was delivering The Times newspaper just after 4:30 a.m. March 18 in the 400 block of Highland Street in Hammond when Washington asked her for money, then started beating her, police said.

According to the victim's testimony to police, a man -- later identified as Washington -- beat her, threw her in his car and drove a short distance while continuing to beat her with a small steel baton before she managed to escape.

The woman suffered multiple injuries as a result of the attack, including injuries to her face and head, bruising and swelling, stitches to her face and back of her head and staples to three separate areas on her head, the Lake County prosecutor's office reported.

An Indiana State Police lab report shows the victim's blood was on a shirt that Washington was wearing the night of the attack, prosecutors said.