A Grovertown man pleaded guilty to a Level 4 Felony charge
of dealing in methamphetamine and admitted a violation in previous sentence in
a negotiated plea agreement between the State and Defense Attorney Richard
Ballard in a hearing Wednesday morning in Starke Circuit Court.
Erika McCarthy was sentenced on two counts in Starke Circuit
Court on Thursday per the terms of a plea agreement negotiated between her
attorney, Richard Ballard, and the State of Indiana.
A plea agreement between the State of Indiana and the defense attorney for Jacob
Decker was accepted by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall Wednesday morning.
Three people were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday
morning per the terms of their plea agreements negotiated between the State and
Defense Attorney Richard Ballard.
Ten Starke County representatives attended a training session at
Indiana University’s
South Bend campus
this week on how to respond to mental health disorders, and substance abuse in
the effort to combat opioid addiction.
The Starke County Election Board has issued a revision of its early voting hours ahead of next month’s municipal primary. In-person absentee voting will take place this afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00. Early voting continues next week, Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
The Starke County Park Board welcomed
two new members Tuesday. Attorney Richard Ballard was appointed to
the board by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall, following the
resignation of Roger Chaffins. Starke County Highway Superintendent
Rik Ritzler had been appointed by the county council back in January,
replacing Debbie Mix. Ballard and Ritzler both took their seats on
the park board for the first time Tuesday, during the board’s first
official meeting since last September.
Judge Kim Hall, John M. Acosta, Bryan Cavender, Leslie A. Baker, Roy McCray, Rachel Milner Oesterreich, David Pearman, Mandy Thomason, Jack Rosa, Bernadette Welter Manuel, Bill Dulin, Robert Olejniczak and Howard Bailey
In an unprecedented ceremony, Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall invited all elected officials, regardless of party, to be sworn into office Wednesday evening.
Judge Hall mentioned that while serving in his position at the Starke County Courthouse for more than three decades, he’s never witnessed a swearing-in ceremony where democrats and republicans were recognized simultaneously. Continue reading →
The sentencing hearing for child molesting suspect 34-year-old Adam Fritz was delayed in Starke Circuit Court after a proposed plea agreement was filed the day of the hearing.
Edward Blackburn has been given the maximum allowable sentence of 65 years in prison for the murder of Cord Colgrove. During Friday’s sentencing hearing, Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall noted a number of aggravating factors, including a criminal history with multiple felonies and misdemeanors. Hall also pointed out that Blackburn was on probation for a felony count of wire fraud, and as part of that, was legally barred from owning a firearm, when he shot and killed Colgrove in March of 2017.