A Warren State Hospital patient will spend at least two years in state prison after assaulting a nurse.

Andrew J. Burrows, 29, Warren, was sentenced by President Judge Maureen Skerda.

Chief Public Defender Kord Kinney said his client called 911 as soon as he realized the extent of the injuries, acknowledging that Burrows faced a state prison sentence.

District Attorney Rob Greene said that a defendant being a state hospital patient can be a “somewhat mitigating factor.”

“In this case,” he added, “I don’t think that should apply.”

Greene presented the victim’s impact statement, who said that Burrows knows right from wrong, should be incarcerated and is a danger to those around him. He then discussed a lengthy criminal history that includes assault, disorderly conduct, harassment, robbery and disarming a law enforcement officer between 2012 and now.

“I think he uses mental illness as an excuse,” Greene said, calling Burrows “extremely violent” with a need “to be put in a facility where (we) can keep society safe.”

He highlighted the state’s lack of forensic units in this context.

“I’m in the wrong,” Burrows said, arguing he isn’t violent. He also said he wouldn’t be in a state hospital if he was not a mental health patient. He said he was not on the correct medication at the time and “will never let this happen again.”

Burrows also told Skerda that he just pushed the victim out of the way because he was fighting with another individual.

“The problem is you don’t know your own strength,” Skerda said. “This is a state sentence.”

Burrows was sentenced on a count of aggravated assault to 25 to 50 months incarceration with credit for eight days time served, $2,500 in fines and fees, a no contact order and mental health treatment in state prison.