A Walkerton man who admitted to dealing methamphetamine to undercover officers over the course of two consecutive days pleaded guilty to that charge in Starke Circuit Court Thursday morning.
Cody Marshall, 23, admitted to Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese that he sold methamphetamine to undercover officers in Starke County on June 4, 2019 and in Marshall County the next day. He was arrested not long after the transactions and charged with dealing in methamphetamine plus other charges in both counties.
A plea agreement was negotiated between Marshall’s Defense Attorney Richard Thornert and the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office and it was presented to the Magistrate for a discretionary sentence. The plea agreement stated that Marshall would plead guilty to a lesser charge of dealing in methamphetamine as a Level 3 Felony rather than a Level 2 Felony. The weight of the product was taken into consideration with the felony level. The charge indicates that the amount of meth sold was between five and 10 grams.
It was noted that Marshall did not have a criminal history before these two consecutive incidents and that he has supportive family members which were mitigating factors in the case.
Marshall made a statement prior to sentencing where he apologized to the court and for what his actions caused. He said he didn’t have any friends in school, but once he hit the workforce and started losing weight, he began making friends, but they ended up being a bad influence. It was then, he said, when he began using drugs which led to the participation in this sale that he admitted to in open court.
After weighing the information provided by White Sands, Magistrate Calabrese sentenced Marshall to six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections where he will be ordered to participate in the Recovery While Incarcerated program and other programs. When he successfully completes the programs, he may petition the court to modify his sentence. He was also ordered to pay a $250 drug interdiction fee and court costs. In addition, he will pay $300 in restitution for the undercover sale.
All other charges in the case were dismissed. This sentence will run consecutively to a sentence in Marshall County where Marshall’s attorney said the term is 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on the dealing in methamphetamine charge as a Level 2 Felony.
