Steven Decker was sentenced in Pulaski Circuit Court on Monday after pleading guilty in a plea agreement with the state.
Decker pleaded guilty to two counts of Neglect of a Dependent as a Class D Felony. Circuit Court Judge Michael Shurn sentenced Decker to two years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on each count, with one year suspended, which shall run concurrently. This sentence will run consecutively to another case in which he was sentenced prior to this case. One year may be served at the Cass/Pulaski Community Corrections Work Release Center, if he is accepted into the program. He will also serve one year on probation and was ordered to pay $100 in a Child Abuse Prevention Fee.
As part of the plea agreement, charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Paraphernalia were dropped.
Decker was arrested on June 26, 2012 along with Caitlin Shidler after Pulaski County police were called to the Good Oil Company in Winamac on a complaint of a possibly intoxicated driver.
When police arrived on scene, officers found Shidler and Decker inside the vehicle with two small children in the back seat. The officers noted in the report that they appeared to be asleep. Shidler allegedly admitted to shooting prescription medication as did Decker. Police reportedly found controlled substances during a search of the vehicle. They were subsequently arrested.
