Two sentence modification requests were brought before Judge Kim Hall in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday morning.
Matthew Baker formerly pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to dealing methamphetamine. He told the court that he participated in the CLIFF program and successfully completed it. It was part of his plea agreement in order to have the opportunity to modify his sentence. Baker has been going to Narcotics Anonymous classes once a week and has completed 12 hours of community service. His home was searched while on house arrest and no contraband was found. A case worker from Starke County Community Corrections testified about Baker’s character and confirmed his completion of requirements through Starke County Community Corrections. The judge granted the motion to move Baker from community corrections home detention electronic monitoring to daily reporting for 12 months. He will need to continue attending N.A. meetings.
Robert Singleton, who was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine, requested that he be taken off home detention electronic monitoring to probation. Court documents indicated that he had taken 30 drug screens and breathalyzer tests and all were negative. Singleton also had successfully completed the Thinking for a Change program during his sentence. He had his home searched as well and no contraband had been found. Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mary Ryan did not object to the modification to home detention daily reporting but could not support a modification to probation due to a mandate to serve a minimum sentence. Judge Hall approved the motion to modify his sentence to home detention with daily reporting.
