Lafayette Woman Sentenced on Drug Charge in Starke Circuit Court

A Lafayette woman pleaded guilty in a plea agreement in Starke Circuit Court on a charge of possession of methamphetamine as a Level 5 Felony. 

Amber Rippe, 36, admitted to Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese on Wednesday morning that she possessed at least five grams of methamphetamine but less than 10 grams in an incident in the county on July 13, 2018. 

Magistrate Calabrese accepted a negotiated plea agreement in the case between Defense attorney Nathan Pearson and Starke County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Micah Cox.  Per the terms of that agreement, Rippe will serve 5 years in the Department of Corrections with all of that time to be suspended to be served on probation.  She will need to participate in any programs deemed necessary by Starke County Court Services.  She was ordered to pay a $250 interdiction fee and any court costs. 

It was noted that she has already completed a program while living in Lafayette and she is making strides in making positive choices in her life.

This sentence will be served consecutively to a sentence in Pulaski County and before a sentence yet to be determined in Marshall County.