David Heineman, Sr. was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning.
Heineman, Sr. pleaded guilty to a a Class B felony charge of Possession of Methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school. Heineman, Sr. admitted in open court that on Apr. 7, 2012, he did possess the drug while at his residence on Lake Street, which is less than 1,000 feet from the Marshall/Starke Head Start school.
With his guilty plea, a charge of Dealing in Methamphetamine would be dropped. When asked about the dismissal of that charge in this plea agreement, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mary Ryan explained that Heineman, Sr. was recently convicted of other methamphetamine-related charges in an Allen County jury trial and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Ryan noted that with this plea agreement in Starke County, six more years would be added as a mandatory consecutive sentence and he would be spending a total of 41 years in prison.
Judge Hall accepted the plea agreement between Heineman, Sr.’s defense attorney Richard Ballard and the State. Heineman, Sr. was ordered to serve six years in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended. Charges of Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, Reckless Possession of Paraphernalia and Resisting Law Enforcement were dropped.
Heineman, Sr. asked that his participation in the CLIFF program be included as part of the sentence and Judge Hall added that as a recommendation.
