A suspect in a rash of thefts in October of 2017 was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning.
San Pierre resident, 19-year-old Sean Wilson, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement between his defense attorney, Blair Todd, and the state to Level 6 Felony charges of auto theft and theft of a firearm. Wilson admitted to Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall that he and a co-defendant were out looking to steal items and came upon a 2013 Chevy Silverado and stole it. He also told the judge they rode in the vehicle for about 30 minutes and backed the truck into a ditch and left it. In another incident, Wilson said he and the co-defendant broke into a vehicle and stole a Rutger .38 caliber revolver.
It wasn’t noted in open court if the co-defendant’s case has gone to trial or if another resolution has been determined. To the knowledge of Starke County Deputy Prosecutor Mary Ryan, the co-defendant, whose charges are filed in juvenile court, has reportedly not admitted or denied any of these allegations in open court.
Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement which called for a discretionary sentence in this case with a range of 12 to 18 months on each count. He sentenced Wilson to the maximum cap of 18 months as outlined in the plea agreement on the charge of auto theft. That sentence is to be served in the Starke County Jail, but Judge Hall permitted Wilson to serve the sentence on home detention with electronic monitoring through Starke County Community Corrections. Wilson was sentenced to 18 months on the charge of theft of a firearm of which six months will be served on home detention and 12 months will be served on probation. The sentences will be served consecutively. Wilson was ordered to complete classes to obtain his GED. If he successfully obtains his GED, he may petition the court for a modification of his sentence.
The no contact order with the victims and the co-defendants in the case will remain active throughout the term of the sentence. Wilson will have to pay $328 in restitution and must pay all court costs and all fees associated with electronic monitoring.
