Two people pleaded guilty to charges filed against them in the Starke Circuit Court on Tuesday.
William Baugh of Knox pleaded guilty to a charge of Receiving Stolen Property as a Class D felony. Baugh is accused of pawning several dozen collectible Zippo lighters that had been stolen from a woman in Knox for $300 in February. He also admitted to a probation violation.
A man with a violent history and four heinous charges of Child Molestation made his initial appearance in the Starke Circuit Court yesterday. Forty-three-year-old Steven L. O’Bryant pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him and vehemently denied the allegations, insisting on a lie detector test to prove his innocence.
“These charges are sick and disgusting,” O’Bryant said, insisting that while a lot of defendants claim they are innocent, he is truly so. He insisted that the state subject him to a lie detector test.
O’Bryant requested a court-appointed attorney represent him, as he is financially unable to provide his own attorney. He says since his release from the Department of Corrections on June 6, 2011, he has been unable to find a job because of the tattoos on his face. As a result, Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall appointed Timothy Lemon to his case.
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction and sentence of Freddie Boggess.
In November 2011, a Starke County jury found Boggess guilty on charges of Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors with Intent to Manufacture, Driving While Suspended, False Informing, and Habitual Traffic Violator. He was sentenced to 17 years for Dealing in Methamphetamine, three years for Possession of Precursors With Intent to Manufacture, one year for Driving While Suspended and six months for False Informing. All sentences were to be served concurrently. The incident occurred in Starke County in July 2011.
Two people pleaded guilty to counts of Theft as Class D felonies in the Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Stephen Wood and David Miller were arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 28 following an alleged burglary incident, and the pair pleaded guilty to Theft as part of a plea agreement. Charges of Class B felony Burglary will be dropped as part of the agreement upon sentencing with a recommended sentence of 18 months for both, with nine months suspended.
The revised injunction against C&C Salvage in Knox has been filed in the Starke Circuit Court.
The order was filed against C&C Salvage after the Planning Commission says they learned C&C Salvage did not have the proper permits from the commission to expand its operations, but James Campbell, the owner of C&C Salvage, had expanded the salvage and junk yard to the south, nearly doubling its size. Further, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conducted an inspection in May and found several violations of both state and federal laws.
Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall heard a motion to set aside an order of injunction filed against C&C Salvage of Knox.
An injunction order was filed against C&C Salvage after the Planning Commission says they learned C&C Salvage did not have the proper permits from the commission to expand its operations, but James Campbell, the owner of C&C Salvage, had expanded the salvage and junk yard to the south, nearly doubling its size. Further, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conducted an inspection in May and found several violations of both state and federal laws.
Several people received their sentences in the Starke Circuit Court this week.
Rose Martin pleaded guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine as a Class D felony, as well as a D felony charge of Possession of Chemical Reagents or Precursors with Intent to Manufacture. The remaining counts against her were dismissed, and she will serve 18 months for the charge of Possession of Methamphetamine, and 12 months for the charge of Possession of Precursors. The sentences will be served consecutively, and none was suspended; however, she can serve her executed sentence on home detention through Community Corrections. Martin must also pay a drug interdiction fee of $250, submit to an evaluation at Porter-Starke Services, and complete any recommended treatment. She was credited with 12 days served.
An injunction order has been filed in the Starke Circuit Court against C&C Salvage and Auto Sales, Inc. in Knox prohibiting them from conducting business until they have applied for and received the proper permits.
According to the injunction, C&C Salvage did not have the proper permits from the Planning Commission to expand its operations, but James Campbell had expanded the salvage and junk yard to the south, nearly doubling its size. Further, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conducted an inspection in May and found several violations of both state and federal laws.
As a result, the injunction requires Campbell to cease all business operations until every violation of county, state, and federal law is corrected. A fine of $300 per day will be issued to Campbell for every day he is still in violation of the laws since July 30, and he is also required to pay the court costs for the matter as well.
A Starke Circuit Court jury trial has been continued in the case of Christopher Stonebraker, who has been charged with Rape as a Class B Felony and Domestic Battery, a Class D Felony.
Stonebraker was arrested on Nov. 28, 2011, and it is alleged that he raped his ex-wife and pushed her head into a wall, causing her tooth to chip. The probable cause affidavit stated that he also scratched her back in the presence of two children. Stonebraker was arrested by an officer from the Indiana State Police and taken to the Starke County Jail.
There were some issues with the discovery documents and the defense requested the continuance. The case will be tried in Starke Circuit court in October.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
