Several cases were dismissed, others were modified, and some were set for trial in the Starke Circuit Court this week.
Jamie Jones, with her attorney Richard Ballard, was scheduled for jury trial Tuesday morning but was able to reach an agreement for three felony cases. Jones was charged with possession of a controlled substance, a trafficking charge, and a third charge of possession of stolen property. She was able to reach an agreement in which the third charge, possession of stolen property, would be dropped, but she would receive one year in the DOC for possession of a controlled substance and five years for trafficking. None of that sentence would be suspended, and they would be served consecutively.
Arturo Mareno was charged with Theft, a class D felony, but it was ultimately dismissed because the prosecutor, Mary Ryan, felt the time he has served is sufficient for his crime. Mareno has been in jail since January, and the state moved to dismiss the case without prejudice.
The case against Richard Hopkins, charged with Possession of Chemical Reagents and Precursors, Conversion, and Operating a Vehicle without Receiving a License, was dismissed of felony charges, and will be refiled in Knox City Court as misdemeanors.
In the case of William King, the defense had not subpoenaed four witnesses and requested a continuance, but Judge Kim Hall denied this request. King currently has three felony cases: one for theft and residential entry, one for theft, and one case for possession of methamphetamine from August of 2010. The other charges were filed in 2011. The state was unable to get the officer who filed the police report to attend the trial that was scheduled for Tuesday morning because he would be unavailable, and the state was ultimately forced to dismiss the theft case, as well as the possession of methamphetamine case. King will plead guilty to theft, and his recommended sentence was 18 months with none suspended. His plea and sentencing date is Thursday, 9am.
The case against Clinton Clemons, with charges of Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child, Strangulation, and Pointing a Firearm, was dismissed by the state, but will be refilled in city court. A bench warrant was made because he did not attend court.
