Thirty-four-year-old Nathan VanDerAa, of Star City, received his sentence in U.S. District Court Friday from Judge Robert Miller, Jr. of 33 months in the Bureau of Prisons and two years of supervised release following his plea of guilty to charges of Unlawful User of a Controlled Substance in Possession of a Firearm. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Schaffer.
Nathan VanDerAa, of Star City, is expected to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in South Bend on Friday, March 23rd.
He was arrested on two separate occasions in 2011 on various drug charges and police found that he illegally possessed firearms. The Pulaski County Prosecutor filed charges but the ATF took over the investigation. On July 14th, 2011, a Federal Grand Jury in South Bend indicted VanDerAa with two counts of Unlawful User of Controlled Substances in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition and one count of Manufacture of a Controlled Substance.
Nathan VanDerAa’s sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court has been continued to March. His sentencing hearing was scheduled for Friday, January 27th.
On June 3rd, 2011, VanDerAa was arrested on a charge of Possession of Methamphetamine after a traffic stop and a few days later, Starke County officers arrived at his home in Star City and found that he was in the presence of a meth lab, firearms and ammunition. Pulaski County Prosecutor Stacey Mrak filed methamphetamine related charges against him and the ATF was expected to file a federal charge for a firearm possession. Mrak recently dismissed the County’s charges against VanDerAa and they were transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Bend.
33-year-old Nathan VanDerAa, of Star City, plead guilty before a Federal Magistrate Judge on Thursday, October 20th.
VanDerAa plead guilty to the felony offense of being an Unlawful User of a Controlled Substance in Possession of a Firearm. Sentencing is set for January 27th, 2012. A charge of Manufacture of a Controlled Substance was dropped as part of his plea agreement.
Nathan VanDerAa’s plea agreement deadline date, as well as his trial date, have been postponed in U.S. District Court. No dates have been released from the U.S. Attorney’s Office but it is believed that his trial date has been moved to November.
VanDerAa has plead not guilty in federal court to two counts of Unlawful User of Controlled Substances in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition and one count of Manufacture of a Controlled Substance.
The Star City Fire Department and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating a house fire that occurred at Nathan VanDerAa’s home in Star City on Sunday.
The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office told WKVI that the fire is considered incendiary, meaning that it was created by someone. The home and VanDerAa’s vehicle were both set on fire. VanDerAa was reportedly not at home at the time of the incident. If you have any information about this arson, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 946-6655. A reward of $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of any suspect(s) responsible for this incident. Continue reading
Nathan VanDerAa, of Star City, was in U.S. District Court in South Bend on Monday where he plead not guilty to two counts of Unlawful User of Controlled Substances in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition and one count of Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. A plea deadline date has been set for September 13th, 2011 and if a plea is not reached by that date, he will go on trial on September 20th. He is out of jail as he was released on an unsecured bond of $10,000 on July 6th.
Federal charges have been filed against Nathan VanDerAa of Star City.
On June 3rd, VanDerAa was arrested on a charge of Possession of Methamphetamine after a traffic stop and a few days later, Starke County officers arrived at his home in Star City and found that he was in the presence of a meth lab, firearms and ammunition. Pulaski County Prosecutor, Stacey Mrak, filed methamphetamine related charges against him and the ATF was expected to file a federal charge for a firearm possession. Mrak recently dismissed the County’s charges against VanDerAa and they were transferred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Bend. VanDerAa had his initial hearing in federal court in South Bend on July 6th.
A status hearing regarding the violation of Nathan VanDerAa’s probation was held in Starke Circuit Court Friday. VanDerAa admitted to five violations of his probation, including an arrest in Pulaski County that he did not report for possession of methamphetamine as well as driving while suspended, failure to complete community service, and an overdue balance owed to the probation department. He has also not completed his drug abuse prevention evaluation and did not report to probation as directed.
Nathan VanDerAa, 33, of Star City, was arrested in Monterey on Friday, June 3rd, on suspicion of Possession of Methamphetamine.
An officer from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department reportedly saw VanDerAa pass by him and noted that he was speeding on 700 North in the area of 450 East. As the officer was turning around to follow VanDerAa, the officer allegedly saw VanDerAa’s left hand reach out of the driver’s window and let go of a bright white bag. The officer retrieved the bag and it contained a white powdery substance that later field-tested to be positive for methamphetamine.
