OSSIPEE - A Wolfeboro man has been sentenced to serve up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to numerous assault charges for beating and trying to burn his ex-girlfriend during a fight last April.

David Connor Ford, 31, formerly of Wolfeboro, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, and one count of criminal restraint during a hearing before Judge Tina Nadeau in 3rd Circuit Superior Court in Ossipee on Nov. 2.

In exchange for the guilty pleadings, prosecutors dropped several charges, including one count of attempted murder. Each count of first-degree assault carries a 5- to 15-year sentence; criminal restraint and second-degree assault carry a two-and-one-half- to 5-year sentence. The sentences will run concurrently for a total potential jail term of 7 and one half to 20 years.

Wolfeboro Police Detective Guy Maloney, who investigated the case, said the victim, identified in court documents as Krystal Durkee, chose not to participate in the sentencing and did not file a victim's statement.

Ford has been held without bail since his arrest April 25. According to court documents, Ford attacked his girlfriend after a night of heavy drinking when she had told him she cheated on him. Ford repeatedly struck the woman in the head with a rock and threw her into an active fire pit, causing burns to her hands, arms and face.

Durkee told police she feared for her life and believed Ford was going to kill her. However, Durkee did not report the attack to police. Her father reported the assault to Tuftonboro police, believing that was the town where the assault occurred. Wolfeboro police entered the investigation and visited Durkee at her home.

When Maloney witnessed the nature of Durkee's injuries, he took her to Huggins Hospital where she was treated for second- and first-degree burns and for fractures to her face.

Maloney said Ford would serve his sentence at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord.