Sentencing Hearing Continued in Case of Randall Rowe

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

A sentencing hearing in the case of Randall Rowe has been continued in Starke Circuit Court pending the research of case law brought up during Tuesday’s court hearing.

Randall Rowe, 36 of Hamlet, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state in a previous hearing to charges of Robbery as a Class B felony, Battery as a Class C felony and Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony. Ten other charges would be dismissed. He was to be sentenced Tuesday but it has been continued.

Randall Rowe was arrested Dec. 30, 2011, along with his brother, after they allegedly entered the home of Wade Berg in Hamlet where Berg was beaten on the head with a handgun. Berg’s hand was also allegedly beaten to the extent that the tip of his finger became detached. The pair also allegedly stole various items from Berg’s home. After the battery, Rowe reportedly forced Berg to drive to 1st Source Bank and withdraw approximately $800 in order to bail out Berg’s sister, who was Rowe’s girlfriend, from jail. Berg claims all of that was done at gunpoint which Rowe disputes.

At the time of his arrest, Rowe was arrested on 13 counts including an enhancement charge of Habitual Offender.

Wade Berg made a statement to Judge Kim Hall Tuesday about the circumstances of the incident and told of the fear that he would experience when Rowe gets out of prison. Berg stated that Rowe has threatened his family and is afraid of their safety as well as his own.

Rowe’s mother also stated that a hardship would be put on her as she has to care for Rowe’s daughter and doesn’t have the financial means to do so. Rowe stated that he is sorry for what happened that night and that Berg is confused on some things that happened during the incident.

In Tuesday’s hearing, Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff asked that Judge Kim Hall sentence Rowe to 20 years on the charge of Robbery, eight years on the charge of Battery and three years on the charge of Receiving Stolen Property with no time suspended. Those sentences would be served consecutively for a total of 31 years in the Department of Corrections. Defense Attorney Timothy Lemon cited many case laws that support the fact that each charge to what Rowe is pleading guilty are a single episode of conduct which call for concurrent sentences and not consecutive sentences.

With that information, Judge Hall ruled to continue the hearing so he and the state can review those case laws. If Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff has any case laws to give to the judge then those would be taken under consideration as well.

The sentencing hearing as been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 23 at 11:30 a.m. CT in Starke Circuit Court.

Novitzke Pleads Not Guilty; $1 Million Bond Remains

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse

A Starke County man who was taken into custody following a pursuit incident spanning two counties received his initial hearing in the Starke Circuit Court yesterday. Julius Novitzke, who is currently held in the Starke County Jail on a $1 million bond, pleaded not guilty to charges of Resisting Law Enforcement, Receiving Stolen Property and Reckless Driving and requested a public defender due to his inability to pay for his own counsel.

Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall appointed attorney Timothy Lemon to Novitzke’s case due to the fact that Lemon is representing Novitzke in another case in the court. Novitzke will have to pay a $100 public defender fee to the clerk.

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Aaron Brewer Sentenced on Drug Charge

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall

A man who admitted to having a lengthy drug abuse problem was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning.

Aaron Brewer, 23, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of Possession of a Narcotic Drug (Heroin) as a Class D felony. He was incarcerated on May 27 of this year after he violated the terms of home detention by abusing heroin. A charge of Residential Entry from another case was dismissed.

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Mullins Sentenced to Ten Years in DOC

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
A Winamac man was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning to ten years in the Department of Corrections on two counts.

Johnny Mullins, 27, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B felony and Neglect of a Dependent as a Class C felony. Judge Kim Hall sentenced Mullins to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with no time suspended on the Dealing in Methamphetamine charge and six years in the Department of Corrections with no time suspended on the charge of Neglect of a Dependent. Those sentences will run concurrently and will run consecutively to another case in Fulton County.

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Plea Agreement Rejected for Repeat Offender

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall rejected a plea agreement for a repeat offender.

Christopher Webb, 26, had previously pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state on a charge of Burglary as a Class C felony. He allegedly broke into a storage locker and stole a Honda motorcycle in September of last year. The incident also reportedly resulted in damage to the motorcycle.

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Several Offenders Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse

Several sentencing hearings were held in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday.

Tiffany Woodard Wireman pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state in two different cases to charges of Visiting a Common Nuisance as a Class B Misdemeanor and Escape as a Class D Felony. On the misdemeanor charge, she was sentenced to 60 days in the Starke County Jail. On the Escape charge, she was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with six months suspended to be served on probation. The sentences will be served consecutively. She had removed her electronic monitoring device while serving time with Starke County Community Corrections.

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Plymouth Man Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse
A man who admitted to threatening two North Judson police officers in an October incident was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning.

Timothy Howard, 37 of Plymouth, told Judge Kim Hall that he had indeed threatened to physically harm two North Judson officers while the officers were doing their duty to investigate the incident in which he was involved. During the course of the incident, Howard threatened to damage a residence if the owner did not let him in the home. He proceeded to kicked dents into a door after his order was not carried out.

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Jennie Carter Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
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Jennie is escorted to the Starke County Jail by Jailer Randy Brown

Theft from a local entity will not be tolerated as proven by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall after he sentenced Jennie Carter on that charge in court Monday morning.

Carter was the defendant in a bench trial in February where, based on evidence and testimony, Judge Hall found her guilty of stealing $7,748.40 from the Starke County Tourism Commission.

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Several People Receive Sentences in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse
The Starke Circuit Court was up to its ears in plea and sentencing hearings this week, as a number of people pleaded guilty to charges against them and received their sentences from Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall.

Priscilla Bodine pleaded guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance as a Class D felony, while Timothy Bodine entered a guilty plea for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Receiving Stolen Property as Class D felonies. Priscilla was sentenced to 13 months in the Department of Corrections with the entirety of her sentence suspended to be served on probation. Timothy received a sentence of 14 months for both counts, and seven months was suspended for both counts against him; the sentences will be served concurrently. He will serve those seven suspended months on probation, while the executed sentence will be served on home detention with electronic monitoring through Starke County Community Corrections.

Matthew Bradley pleaded guilty on Wednesday to Theft as a Class D felony and was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections. His 18-month sentence was suspended with the exception of the 106 days he served in Starke County Jail. He will serve 12 months on probation.

Man Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Trafficking with Inmate in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall held the initial hearing for Christopher Gross yesterday, when Gross pleaded not guilty to the charge of Attempting Trafficking with an Inmate as a Class C felony. Gross is accused of being part of a plan to bring contraband into the Starke County Jail, when Lindsey Dennis allegedly helped to hide a controlled substance inside a deodorant container to sneak it in.

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Sentences Handed Down in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse
Three people received their sentences in the Starke Circuit Court today on a variety of charges, including Battery, Check Fraud, and Dealing in Methamphetamine.

Joseph Esposito faced two causes in the court and pleaded guilty to charges in both cases. Esposito pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement to four counts of Battery as Class C felonies and the prosecutor dismissed three counts of Intimidation. Esposito was sentenced to three years in the Department of Corrections for the charges of Battery and a no-contact order with the victim remains in effect. He also pleaded guilty to Possession of Marijuana with a Prior Conviction and was sentenced to 12 months in the Department of Corrections, all of which were suspended. That sentence will run consecutively to his other sentence for a total of three years in the DOC followed by one year of probation.

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Judge Hall Finds Jennie Carter Guilty of Theft of Tourism Funds

Posted on Author WKVI

Jennie Carter
Jennie Carter
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall heard the final arguments in the case against Jennie Carter this afternoon and rendered his verdict in the bench trial against the woman accused of taking $7,000 in Starke County Tourism Commission funds for her own use.

Carter faced a count of Theft as a Class D felony in the bench trial which began last Wednesday. Three witnesses testified throughout the course of the bench trial, including the lead investigator in the case with the Indiana State Police, Debbie Mix of the Starke County Tourism Commission and Chamber of Commerce, and the defendant.

Final arguments began Wednesday afternoon and continued today, when the elements of the theft charge were explained and other legal issues were discussed.

The verdict was left to Judge Hall to decide, who entered a verdict of guilty of Theft as a Class D felony. Carter will receive her sentence on March 25 at 10 a.m. in the Starke Circuit Court.

Jennie Carter Trial Continued until Monday

Posted on Author WKVI
Jennie Carter
Jennie Carter

Three witnesses were called Thursday in the Starke Circuit Court bench trial in the case of Jennie Carter. Carter was charged with theft in an investigation with the Indiana State Police after she allegedly took $7,000 in Starke County Tourism Commission funds for her own use.

The prosecution called two witnesses, the lead detective in the investigation Chris Campione with the Indiana State Police and Debbie Mix with the Starke County Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Commission. They testified of their knowledge of the event surrounding the incident. Defendant Jennie Carter testified on her own behalf.

Testimony lasted throughout the day with Judge Kim Hall presiding. The prosecution and defense were able to deliver their final arguments, but those arguments have been continued until Monday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. The elements of the count of Theft, a Class D Felony, will be presented in this case. All evidence will then be in the hands of Judge Hall who will render a verdict.

A jury trial will commence today at 9 a.m. in the case of Jerome Uskert who is accused of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Prior Conviction within Five Years.

Jennie Carter Bench Trial to Begin Today in Starke Circuit

Posted on Author WKVI

Jennie Carter
Jennie Carter
Jennie Carter will appear in Starke Circuit Court this morning at 9 a.m. for a bench trial. She had been slated for a jury trial but her attorney filed a waiver for a bench trial which was granted in a hearing yesterday afternoon. Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall will preside over the hearing and make a judgment after all evidence is heard. Fifteen witnesses are expected to testify in this case.

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Adoptions Are Historic Emotional Moments in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
The Earnest family went through the adoption hearing before the public and the media on Friday.

It was an emotional day in the Starke Circuit Court yesterday as Judge Kim Hall finalized four adoptions in an historical moment before the public and the media. For the first time in the history of the Starke County Courthouse, Chief Justice Brent Dickson signed a rare order authorizing the adoption proceedings to not only be open to the public, but also to be televised and recorded by the media. Only three counties in Indiana were given this order.

In honor of National Adoption Awareness Month and the increasing need for adoptive families, the four adoption hearings were held before a packed courtroom with several guest speakers, including Rhonda Adcock, the director of Starke County CASA, who spoke about how important adoption is.

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Four Adoptions To Take Place in Circuit Court Today Open To Public

Posted on Author WKVI

Today is a special day for four families in Starke County as Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall will be finalizing adoptions for those families.

A ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. CT today when the public is invited to listen to several speakers concerning adoptions. At 1:30 p.m., the adoption hearings will begin. WKVI will be there to witness the adoptions as the Indiana Supreme Court has allowed the proceedings to be covered by the media when they are usually closed to the public.

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Knox Man Sentenced To 45 Months in DOC For Receiving Stolen Property

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall sentenced William Baugh, 21 of Knox, last week after he pleaded guilty to a charge of Receiving Stolen Property in a plea agreement with the state.

Baugh testified that his ex-girlfriend gave him some zippo lighters to pawn at the pawn shop in Knox. Baugh also said that his ex-girlfriend had gotten them from her grandmother and it was okay for him to pawn them. According to more testimony, it was learned that the lighters were not the woman’s grandmother’s but her stepfather’s. The victim made a statement in court that the items were taken without his consent and was extremely upset that the items were stolen and pawned. He asked the pawn shop to hold those items because they were stolen and he called the police to make a report. The victim told Judge Hall that the items were sold anyway. He indicated that the lighters were a collection of his mother’s and there were over 200 of them in the collection worth $1,500. There were also some Star Wars memorabilia items that were pawned.

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Sentences Handed Down in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall presided over several plea and sentencing hearings Thursday afternoon.

James Toney appeared for his hearing. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance as a Class D Felony and had been incarcerated in the Starke County Jail since his arrest six months ago. He was charged after police found him in possession of one Vicadin pill in his pocket.

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