A former Starke County resident who has been arrested at least 50 times was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court last week.
Thomas Skibbe, 46, who now resides in Indianapolis, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state charges of burglary as a Level 5 felony and possession of methamphetamine as a Level 6 felony. He was sentenced to three years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on the burglary charge with all of the sentence suspended to be served on probation. On the charge of possession of methamphetamine, he was sentenced to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with all of the sentence suspended to be served on probation. Those sentences are to be served consecutively. He was also ordered to participate in any programs recommended by the Starke County Probation Department.
Skibbe admitted that he used to work at Select Furniture at the time he broke into the building and took tools that weren’t his. That incident occurred on Oct. 15, 2016. On Dec. 30, 2016, Skibbe was at a home in North Judson when a search warrant was executed by police. He admitted that he was doing drugs while at the residence and was in possession of methamphetamine residue.
He told Judge Kim Hall that he’s now left Starke County and completed a drug treatment program in Indianapolis. He stated that he’s done getting into trouble and he’s doing really well and would like to continue rehabilitation programs in Indianapolis.
In another hearing in Starke Circuit Court last week, 19-year-old Chandler Ake pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of theft as a Class A misdemeanor. He admitted in open court that on March 31, 2017 he and two co-defendants took food and candy from the North Judson-San Pierre High School without permission. Ake was sentenced to 12 months in the Starke County Justice Center with all of the sentence suspended to be served on probation.
