Local Scrap Yard Under Fire For Numerous Violations

Posted on Author WKVI

A local scrap yard is under fire for allegedly committing numerous Indiana Department of Environmental Management violations, and a hearing was held yesterday in the Starke Circuit Court regarding the allegations. Attorney Steve Dodge appeared in court with Starke County Zoning Administrator Bruce Williams, who presented evidence of numerous violations committed by C&C Salvage, located near the intersection of U.S. 35 and Toto Road.

According to a summary letter of an inspection conducted at the site by IDEM on May 21, there are locations where it is evident that fluids such as oil had been released onto the ground, and at least one location has several vehicle motors sitting on the ground with evidence of standing around them. Further, there are burned trees at the back of the property from a fire, and C&C Salvage Manager Jose Delgado reportedly said a pile of scrap had caught fire. There is also a small pond on the property that is full of debris including railroad ties, tires, trash, and scrap materials.

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Czarnecki Found Guilty of Charges Including Battery In Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Jennifer Czarnecki

Three guilty verdicts came back in the trial of Jennifer Czarnecki in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday.

Her charges stemmed from in an incident in January where she had come home intoxicated and allegedly “threw” a child at her boyfriend while at her mother’s residence in North Judson. When police arrived at the scene and conducted an investigation, officers attempted to place her into custody and Czarnecki was throwing her arms at an officer and she kicked him in the chest. She also reportedly got out of the back seat of the squad car three times. She was transported to IU Health Starke Hospital for evaluation due to her state of intoxication, and while there, she caused more problems by reportedly yelling and kicking at the hospital staff and spiting at the nurses and the officers.

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Whitt Sentenced To Ten Years For Dealing in Methamphetamine

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

Cole Whitt, Jr., of Plymouth, was recently sentenced to prison following a hearing before Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall.

Whitt pleaded guilty to Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B Felony in a plea agreement accepted by Judge Hall which dropped charges of Possession of Precursors, Methamphetamine and Marijuana. The judge took into consideration that Whitt had been to prison twice before he rendered his decision, sentencing Whitt to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with none of that sentence suspended. Upon completion of the CLIFF program and at least six years of his sentence, he can petition the court for a modification of his sentence.

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Shawn Heck Sentenced To Eight Years For Dealing Methamphetamine

Posted on Author WKVI
Shawn Heck

Shawn Heck was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday.

Heck pleaded guilty to a charge of Dealing in Methamphetamine in a plea agreement which Judge Hall accepted. Heck will serve eight years on that Class B Felony charge with none of that sentence suspended in the Indiana Department of Corrections. Upon his completion of the CLIFF program and serving a mandatory six years of that term, he may apply for a modification of that sentence. He was ordered to pay a $200 drug interdiction fee. As part of his plea agreement, charges of Possession of Precursors and Possession of Methamphetamine were dropped.

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Dale Hite Sentenced To 30 Years in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Dale Hite

It was an emotional day for the family of Amber McMillin and Nicholas White as Dale Hite was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday afternoon.

McMillin and White had been killed in a car accident with Hite as the driver. On October 16, 2009, officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department were investigating a call of someone manufacturing methamphetamine and when officers arrived on scene and began searching for evidence, a vehicle approached the residence and then suddenly sped from the scene which was approximately one quarter mile north of County Road 600 North on County Road 700 East in Grovertown. As police pursued the vehicle on 600 North, the vehicle’s headlights turned off and all the officer could see was the taillights. The vehicle then went off the road at 10320 East 600 North and ran into some trees. Police indicate that the vehicle was traveling 124 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Amber McMillin and Nicholas White, both of Plymouth, were ejected from the vehicle and died of injuries at the scene. Police found that Dale Hite, who was also injured in that incident, had been driving the vehicle and police found methamphetamine in Hite’s pants pocket.

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Higdon Receives Two Years For Fleeing Police

Posted on Author WKVI
Raymond Higdon

After fleeing from police in a vehicle on April 27 before he was ultimately arrested and charged with Resisting Law Enforcement, Driving While Suspended, and Reckless Driving, Raymond Higdon appeared in the Starke Circuit Court this week for his plea and sentencing hearing.

Higdon pleaded guilty to Resisting Law Enforcement as a Class D felony, and the other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Higdon will serve two years in the Department of Corrections with none of that sentence suspended, and he will also be required to pay all court costs and submit to a DNA cheek swab.

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Charges Dropped Against Former Hamlet Street Superintendent

Posted on Author WKVI
John Goble, Sr.

The State of Indiana has dropped charges against former Hamlet Street Superintendent John Goble, Sr.

Any outstanding summons regarding charges in this case have been ordered revoked.

Goble had resigned from the Town of Hamlet in January, and his temporary replacement reportedly could not find certain pieces of equipment. A current equipment inventory list and receipts did not match. A warrant was issued for Goble’s arrest and he was arrested in late March on a charge of theft. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in Starke Circuit Court.

After further investigation, the State of Indiana filed a motion to dismiss the cause without prejudice, which was signed on June 27.

Fort Receives 10-Year Sentence For Dealing In Methamphetamine

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

A number of plea and sentencing hearings were held in the Starke Circuit Court by Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese yesterday afternoon.

Mary Fort pleaded guilty to one count of Dealing in Methamphetamine as a Class B felony. She also admitted to committing two probation violations in that she failed to attend Narcotics Anonymous classes, and failed to pay fees and court costs related to her probation. She was also arrested in March, and failed a random drug test for methamphetamine.

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Matthew Baker Receives Sentence In Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

Matthew Baker was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday after pleading guilty to four counts against him.

The Knox man was sentenced to 10 years in the Department of Corrections with two years suspended, on a charge of Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony. On the Class D Felony charge of Attempted Battery, he was sentenced to 18 months in the DOC with none of that sentence suspended. He will spend one year in the Starke County Jail on each of the two misdemeanor counts of Taking a Child to a Nuisance. None of that sentence was suspended. The three lesser counts will be served concurrently, but the Dealing in Methamphetamine charge will be served consecutively to those charges.

He will also serve two years on probation. He will be applying to the home detention program when he is eligible to serve his sentence on probation, and if he successfully completes the CLIFF Program, he can petition the court to modify his sentence.

Special Prosecutor Appointed To Case Against Connie Miller

Posted on Author WKVI
Nicholas Bourff

A special prosecutor has been appointed in the case between the State of Indiana and Connie Miller, the former clerk-treasurer for the town of North Judson.

Starke County Prosecutor Nick Bourff requested a special prosecutor be appointed to the case because he felt it would be difficult to avoid the appearance of impropriety if the charging decision in the case was up to him, because he was the acting legal counsel for the town of North Judson during the year 2010. He said that due to the attorney-client relationship that existed between him and Miller during that time, the decision on whether or not to prosecute based on the Indiana State Board of Accounts Special Report causes a conflict.

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Jury Trial To Be Held Wednesday In Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Starke County Courthouse

A jury trial will be held Wednesday in the Starke Circuit Court – but the question is, who will go to trial?

Two pretrial motions and instructions hearings are set for this morning in the court; Jerrold Minix and Angela May will appear for their hearings, at which point it will be decided who will go to trial on Wednesday.

Minix faces two cases in the Starke Circuit Court. In the first case, he is charged with two counts of Burglary as a Class C felony, two counts of Theft, and two counts of Possession of Stolen Property. In the second case, he is charged with Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony.

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Hunnicutt Pleas Not Guilty To Escape Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Joshua Hunnicutt

Joshua Hunnicutt appeared in the Starke Circuit Court for his initial hearing yesterday, where he charges of Escape as a Class C felony and Conspiracy to Commit Escape as a Class C felony. Hunnicutt was appointed attorney Richard Ballard as pauper council.

Hunnicutt had been on the run since climbing a razor-wire wall in the recreation area of the Starke County Jail on May 23 and fleeing from police for five days. He said he turned himself back in because he realized he had made a poor decision in escaping, and said he doesn’t have any recollection of what took place prior to his escape.

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Hunnicutt to Appear for Initial Hearing on Escape Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Joshua Hunnicutt

After fleeing the Starke County Jail on May 23 and turning himself in just five days later, Joshua Hunnicutt will appear for his initial hearing today for additional charges of Escape and Conspiracy to Commit Escape.

Hunnicutt had been on the run since climbing a razor-wire wall in the recreation area of the jail and fleeing from police. He said he turned himself back in because he realized he had made a poor decision in escaping, and said he doesn’t have any recollection of what took place prior to his escape.

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Brooke Webb Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Brooke Webb

Brooke Webb, charged with multiple counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana and Visiting a Common Nuisance after she was arrested at a residence in Knox on Nov. 23, 2011, appeared in the Starke Circuit Court Monday morning for her plea and sentencing hearing.

Webb was sentenced to three years in the Department of Corrections for Possession of a Controlled Substance as both a Class D felony and a Class C felony. One year of that sentence has been stayed, and one year will be served on probation. In addition, the court will allow her to serve the one remaining year on home detention. The rest of the charges against her were dismissed as part of the agreement.

Accused of battering his girlfriend in March, David Zachary was to appear for his plea and sentencing hearing in the Starke Circuit Court this week as well. However, due to an incomplete questionnaire, the pre-sentence investigation was not complete. A status hearing has been scheduled for Zachary on June 14 at 8 a.m., when they will learn if the pre-sentence investigation has been completed.

Sentencings Handed Down in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI

Vernon Chessor appeared for his sentencing hearing in the Starke Circuit Court on Friday, where he faced charges of Possession of Methamphetamine as Class D felonies as well as a probation violation charge in a separate case. A charge of Possession of a Syringe was dismissed.

Judge Kim Hall sentenced Chessor to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with no time suspended for the charge of Possession of Methamphetamine, and two years in the Department of Corrections with none suspended for the probation violation. The sentences will run consecutively for a total of two and a half years in the DOC. The court also recommended that he be placed into the CLIFF program.

Austin Bailey was also sentenced Friday to three years and nine months in the Department of Corrections. He will serve three years for a Class D felony charge of Theft, and nine months for violating his probation. He will also serve six months in the Starke County Jail.

Jury Convicts Hite On All Eight Charges

Posted on Author WKVI
Dale Hite

The three-day trial for Dale Hite concluded today with the jury’s verdict of guilty on all eight counts.

Hite was found guilty of two counts of Resisting Law Enforcement Resulting in Death as Class B felonies, two counts of Reckless Homicide as Class C felonies, and counts of Resisting Law Enforcement as a Class D felony, Possession of Methamphetamine as a Class D felony, Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign as a Class C infraction, and Failure to use Headlights From Sunset to Sunrise as a Class C felony.

The trial started on Wednesday and ended Friday afternoon. Hite’s bond has been revoked, and he is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on June 26 at 1 p.m.

Reckless Homicide Trial to Be Held For Dale Hite Today

Posted on Author WKVI
Dale Hite

A trial is scheduled for a man who has pleaded not guilty to eight charges stemming from an incident in Starke County on Oct. 16, 2009.

Dale Hite was present for his pretrial motions and instructions hearing Tuesday, where he faces charges of Resisting Law Enforcement Resulting in Death, two counts of Reckless Homicide, and counts of Resisting Law Enforcement, Possession of Methamphetamine, Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign and Failure to Use Headlights from Sunset to Sunrise.

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Plea Agreements Fall Through In Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Rose Martin

Attorney Richard Thonert of Fort Wayne, the counsel for Rose Martin, filed a motion to withdraw from her case. Martin is charged with Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors. The court approved the motion, and Martin’s attorney is now Richard Ballard. A plea agreement was also rejected for Martin, and her trial is scheduled for Aug. 1 at 9 a.m. with a pretrial motions and instructions hearing on July 31, and a jury status hearing on July 20.

A plea agreement was also withdrawn for Billy Coldiron. The agreement would have sentenced him to four years in the Department of Corrections with two years suspended, and he would have been allowed to serve that sentence on home detention. The state withdrew their plea offer, and a plea agreement deadline has been set for July 18 at 9 a.m.

Plea Agreement Rejected For Robert Reed

Posted on Author WKVI
Robert Reed

A plea agreement was rejected for Robert Reed, who was arrested on charges stemming from an alleged robbery and attempted murder case in San Pierre on May 22, 2011. The plea agreement would have sentenced Reed to 24 months in the Department of Corrections on charges of Receiving Stolen Property and Resisting Law Enforcement. None of that sentence would have been suspended.

Reed is currently being held in the Westville Correctional Facility, and was never transported to Starke County for his hearing. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall rejected the agreement, and set a jury trial date of Aug. 1, with a pretrial motions and instructions hearing on July 31 at 1 p.m. A jury status hearing will take place on July 20 at 9 a.m., with a final pretrial conference and plea agreement deadline of July 13 at 9 a.m.

Hummel Brothers Receive Sentence in Starke Circuit Court

Posted on Author WKVI
Jonathan Hummel
Nathan Hummel

Thursday was a busy day in the Starke Circuit Court, as several sentences were handed down by Judge Kim Hall.

After pleading guilty on April 23 to several charges stemming from an armed robbery incident at the Knox CVS Pharmacy on December 20, 2010, Jonathan and Nathan Hummel received their sentences in court.

Jonathan Hummel was sentenced to 30-and-a-half years in the Department of Corrections as per a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to Dealing in a Narcotic Drug as a Class A felony; Robbery as a Class B felony; Aiding, Inducing, or Causing a Robbery as a Class B felony, and Criminal Mischief as a Class D felony. A separate cause was dismissed and all pending cases in Knox City Court were dismissed. Hummel is required to pay $2946.13 for damages to a police squad car, and $11,924 in restitution to the Knox CVS.

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