A woman who admitted to selling at least 6 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover officer was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning.
Ashley Ensey, 29, pleaded guilty to a charge of dealing in methamphetamine as a Level 3 Felony. The incident occurred on Nov. 29, 2018.
The plea agreement called for a discretionary sentence where the length of the sentence would be argued in front of Judge Kim Hall. He would then determine time to be served on the offense.
Starke County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Micah Cox argued that Ensey had a criminal history that has escalated in the last few years in the level of drug crimes involved. She was arrested in Marshall County on drug charges and recently sentenced to serve three years on a charge to run concurrently to her sentence in Starke County. Cox asked Judge Hall to sentence her to the cap of nine years as outlined in the proposed plea agreement.
Defense Attorney Blair Todd argued that he didn’t think Ensey’s criminal history was to the extent that Cox described and asked that she serve at least three to five years on the charge.
In her comments to the judge, Ensey stated she was transported to the Department of Corrections in December to begin serving her Marshall County sentence. She told Judge Hall that she’s been participating in an outpatient treatment program as she awaits admission to the Recovery While Incarcerated program there. She is currently on the waiting list. She also asked to enter a rehabilitation program upon her release from prison.
Judge Hall agreed that Ensey’s crimes seemed to be escalating in that this would be her fourth felony conviction. He commented that she needs to take the necessary steps to take part in rehabilitation programs to turn around her life.
Judge Hall accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Ensey to nine years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with this case to run at the same time as the sentence she received in Marshall County. This is for purposeful incarceration, meaning she needs to participate in substance abuse rehabilitation programs. If she successfully completes a program that meets the purposeful incarceration requirement, the court may consider modifying her sentence.
