A jury of six people found a defendant guilty on two felony counts in a single day trial in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday, May 1.
Donald Fletcher was charged with a Level 6 Felony count of possession of methamphetamine and a Level 6 Felony count of unlawful possession or use of a legend drug.
Testimony given by Starke County Sheriff’s Office Deputy PJ McKee indicated that he witnessed a vehicle go around barricades that sprawled all across the roadway to deter traffic from going down the road due to a bridge project which prompted a traffic stop on State Road 39 south of State Road 8 on or about July 17, 2023. Donald Fletcher was the driver of the vehicle and the lone occupant. The deputy testified that he deployed K9 Robby around the vehicle to conduct a free-air sniff of the vehicle and the K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics by the driver’s side door. Deputy McKee testified that he noticed Fletcher to be fidgety with his pants while at the front of the squad car. Starke County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jack Hudgens testified that he arrived at the scene to provide assistance and recognized Fletcher’s behavior. A search was conducted of Fletcher’s vehicle which yielded a legend drug in a pill bottle in the trunk of the car. The label on the bottle showed the name of a different individual. It was then when Fletcher was placed into handcuffs.
After the search was conducted, Deputy McKee told the jury that it is common for an officer to search the area around the vehicle to clear the scene. He stated he found a plastic baggie containing a white substance in the grill of his squad car. He noted that he washed his squad car earlier in the day and it was not there. He stated that there were no other people around his vehicle during his shift.
The substance in the baggie was tested at the Indiana State Police Crime Lab at the Lowell Post where Drug Unit Analyst Aleea McConaughey testified that the substance tested positive for methamphetamine.
There were only three witnesses who testified for the State of Indiana, represented by Starke County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Poulos. The defendant, who was represented by Attorney Richard Ballard, did not testify during the trial.
In opening and closing statements made to the jury, Ballard did note that Fletcher denied placing the baggie of what later tested positive for methamphetamine in the grill of the deputy’s squad car and that Fletcher was going to return the bottle containing the legend drug to the owner with no illegal intent.
The jury deliberated for 35 minutes before returning the verdicts.
Fletcher stated to presiding Judge Kim Hall that he plans to appeal the verdicts.
Sentencing will be scheduled within 30 days, but that time could be extended if requested by counsel.
