Three people were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday morning per the terms of their plea agreements negotiated between the State and Defense Attorney Richard Ballard.
Cody Barnette, 26, of North Judson admitted to a probation violation and to a Level 5 Felony charge of escape. Barnette admitted to Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall that he violated his probation in January of this year and also cut off his electronic monitoring device. Judge Hall accepted the plea agreement which calls for a 6 month sentence in the Starke County Justice Center with no part of the sentence suspended for the probation violation. He also was sentenced to 12 months in the Starke County Justice Center with no part of the sentence suspended on the charge of escape. Those sentences will be served consecutively.
Jessica Jacobs, 22, of Knox admitted to Judge Hall that she sold less than a half of a gram of heroin to another person for $80 on Sept. 13, 2018. She also did that in the presence of her then-six-month-old daughter. Jacobs was sentenced per the terms of her agreement on the Level 4 Felony charge of dealing in a narcotic drug. She will serve six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with three years of that sentence to be served on approved home detention programs through Starke County Community Corrections and the Department of Child Services in addition to electronic monitoring. The remaining three years will be suspended and served on probation.
Tyler Bunton, 23, of Knox was sentenced to one count of possession of a narcotic drug as a Level 6 Felony in one case, and another count of possession of a narcotic drug as a Level 6 Felony in another case. He admitted to Judge Hall that he was in possession of heroin on two separate occasions. He was sentenced to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended on one charge, but since he successfully completed the welding program and received his certification, that sentence may be served on probation. He was also sentenced to 24 months in the DOC with all of the sentence suspended to be served on probation on the second charge. Judge Hall noted that Bunton is gainfully employed and he has plans to better his life outside of drugs. He also had no previous criminal record prior to these offenses which was a mitigating factor noted during the hearing.
