Hunnicutt Pleas Not Guilty To Escape Charges

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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James Watts Found Not Guilty of Knox Burglary

A man accused of breaking into a Knox residence on April 28, 2010 was found not guilty of two charges against him following his jury trial on Wednesday.

James Watts was accused of breaking into a home at 4168 South CR 210 in Knox and stealing multiple tools and gas. He was charged with Burglary as a Class C felony and Theft as a Class D felony after a cigarette found in the residence matched his DNA. The owner of the home, Orlean Janasz, told police that she didn’t know him and nor did her family.

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Starke Circuit Court Hears Numerous Initial Hearings Thursday

Starke County Courthouse

Thursday was a busy day for the Starke Circuit Court, where several initial hearings were heard.

Daily James Potter received his initial hearing in the court and received a number of important dates, including his attorney status hearing on June 6 at 9 a.m. His first pre-trial conference will take place July 18 at 8 a.m., with his second pre-trial conference and plea agreement deadline on August 16 at 8 a.m. Potter is charged with Aggravated Battery as a Class B felony, Robbery as a Class B felony, and Battery as a Class C felony. His bond remains at $75,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim in his case.

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Sentences Handed Down in Starke Circuit Court

Shelby Thomas

After pleading guilty to two counts of Intimidation as a Class C felony, Shelby Thomas received his sentence in the Starke Circuit Court Thursday. Thomas had pleaded guilty to the felonies and admitted to threatening to kill Officers James Upsall and Dave Combs while armed with a 10-inch knife.

Thomas was sentenced to seven and a half years for each charge to be served consecutively, giving him a sentence of 15 years in the Department of Corrections. The court recommended to the DOC that he be entered into the CLIFF program. None of his sentence was suspended.

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Verdict Rendered in Trial of James Ritenour III

James Ritenour III

A Starke County jury took just one hour to decide verdicts in the case of James Ritenour III.

The one-day trial occurred Wednesday in Starke Circuit Court and a 12 member jury found James Ritenour III not guilty on charges of Battery with a Deadly Weapon, a Class C Felony, and Criminal Recklessness, a Class D Felony. He was found guilty on two counts of Intimidation, as Class D Felonies, and one count of Interference with Reporting a Crime, a Class A Misdemeanor.

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Indiana Court of Appeals Affirms Sentence for John Brooke

John Brooke

The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the sentence that was handed to John Brooke in Starke Circuit Court by Judge Kim Hall. Brooke had appealed the sentence challenging his conspiracy conviction and his sentence.

Brooke was sentenced to 22 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections after a jury found him guilty on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery, Intimidation, Possession/Manufacturing of a Destructive Device (a Molotov Cocktail), Possession of a Destructive Device, Resisting Law Enforcement, Unlawful Use of Body Armor and Assisting a Criminal. The charges stemmed from an incident at Bass Lake on February 15th, 2010, where Brooke was convicted of harboring a fugitive, Michael Drogosz, and they developed a plan to kill police officers and rob banks in Starke County. Several other people were also involved in the plan.

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Case Against James Ritenour III Goes to Trial This Morning

James Ritenour III

James Ritenour III is scheduled to go to trial for charges stemming from an incident in which he allegedly attacked his mother. Ritenour was being held in the Starke County Jail under $100,000 bond after his mother told police that he put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her after she questioned him regarding a malfunctioning microwave.

Jayne Ritenour told police that she was thrown to the floor and stomped on, but she stayed in the home because she was too scared to attempt to leave, thinking her son would attack her again. In the morning, she snuck out of the home and went to Kerby’s Corner Gas Station where she was able to contact police.

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Initial Hearings Held in Starke Circuit Court

Accused of firing a gun in the Wythogan Park in Knox, Dustin Spencer was present for his initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday. Spencer pleaded not guilty to the charges against him: Criminal Recklessness as both Class C and Class D felonies.

Spencer requested a court-appointed attorney and was granted Attorney Timothy Lemon. These charges stem from an incident on April 10th in which police say Spencer fired a gun in the park with several bystanders, including juveniles playing on a baseball diamond, and he also allegedly fired the gun toward an occupied dwelling.

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Robert Corbin, Nathan Hummel have Hearings in Starke Circuit Court

Robert "Ryan" Corbin

The initial hearing for Robert Ryan Corbin was held in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday. Corbin is charged with two counts of Attempted Child Seduction after he allegedly sent inappropriate Facebook messages and that he wanted to pick her up. He also requested pictures of the student and asked her explicit questions.

A preliminary plea of not guilty was entered for Corbin, who has retained Attorney Nicholas T. Otis of Newby Lewis Kaminski and Jones in LaPorte. His attorney announced his intent to file a motion to dismiss the charges and the state has 30 days to respond to the motion. The first pre-trial conference date for Corbin has been set for June 6th at 8:30 a.m., with a hearing on the motion to dismiss to take place at 9:00 a.m. Continue reading

John Goble, Sr. Accused of Theft

John Goble, Sr.

John Goble, Sr., former Street Superintendent for the Town of Hamlet, was recently arrested on a warrant for theft.

Police say that in January, Goble and his son, John Goble, Jr., resigned their positions with the street department after a disagreement with the Hamlet Town Board and the Board appointed Town Marshal Frank Lonigro III as the temporary Street Superintendent until a full-time replacement was found.

Lonigro was told by the Town Board members to conduct an inventory of all town equipment with the Street Department. Lonigro could not find a current equipment inventory list so he contacted Smith Farm Store, where most of the town’s equipment is purchased, to get a list of receipts for 2011. Lonigro reportedly found that equipment purchased and was signed for by John Goble, Sr. was unaccounted for in an inventory check. Alleged items that have not been accounted for totals $1,358.65.

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Clayton Reiss Sentenced

Clayton Reiss

Clayton Reiss was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court this week.

Reiss pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to charges of Dealing in Schedule I, II, or III Controlled Substance as a Class B Felony and Dealing in Schedule IV Controlled Substance as a Class C Felony in one cause heard before Judge Kim Hall. He pleaded guilty in a plea agreement in a separate cause to Theft as a Class D Felony.

Judge Hall sentenced Reiss to six years each on both Dealing in Controlled Substance charges. Those sentences will run concurrently and shall run consecutively to a sentence of 12 months on the Theft charge. No part of the sentences were suspended. Reiss will serve those sentences in the Indiana Department of Corrections.

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