GOSHEN — At 43, Dawn Alwine is old enough to know better.

“I should’ve never had alcohol in that house for those kids. I’m supposed to be responsible, I’m supposed to look out for them,” she said Thursday at her sentencing in Elkhart Circuit Court.

Instead, she got the inebriated teens and young-20-somethings to break into the house of an elderly neighbor, with whom she had friction, and beat the man severely Feb. 5, 2011.

“I’m responsible for two young kids going to prison. I’m responsible for two older ones going, one for a very long time. They almost killed someone, and I’m responsible,” Alwine said Thursday.

She’ll serve 35 years in prison and five on probation for robbery causing serious injury, burglary and conspiracy.

“My mom is probably going to pass away while I’m in prison and I didn’t think about that. I thought about myself,” Alwine said.

Darnell Brown, Robert Brandon, Alex Jones and Cameron O’Neal went to the home of Roy Tittle in Elkhart, threw a blanket over the sleeping man and beat and robbed him, according to testimony.

Judge Terry Shewmaker said, “We are all lucky that the victim, a 65-year-old disabled American veteran, wasn’t killed. He suffered very, very severe injuries.”

David Francisco, deputy prosecutor, said, “None of this would have happened if Miss Alwine has been the adult in the room that she should’ve been.”