Two Sentenced to DOC in Starke Circuit Court

Starke County Courthouse
Starke County Courthouse

Two men received their sentences in the Starke Circuit Court yesterday afternoon. Patrick Sullivan received a discretionary sentence for his conviction of Burglary as a Class B felony while Tony Clemons was sentenced for a B-felony charge of Manufacturing Methampethetamine.

Sullivan had been arrested on July 30 after a resident living in the 1800 block of County Road 300 East in Knox called the Starke County Sheriff’s Department to report that an unknown person broke into her home and stole several items. The shed on the property had also been broken into and a lawn tractor was stolen. The lawn tractor was later found in a shed at a residence near the crime scene. Officers obtained a search warrant for that residence and the items that were reported stolen were recovered. Sullivan, 36, was at the home at the time the search warrant was conducted and was taken into custody.

Sullivan received a discretionary sentence for his conviction of Burglary as a Class B felony and will serve 15 years in the Department of Corrections with none of that sentence suspended. Other charges, including Theft and Receiving Stolen Property, were dismissed by the prosecutor.

Clemons, on the other hand, will serve 10 years in the Department of Corrections for his conviction of Manufacturing Methamphetamine as a Class B felony. None of his sentence was suspended, and other charges, including possession charges for methamphetamine and marijuana, were dropped. He had been arrested on May 31, 2012, after police received information that he had been staying at a residence at 207 W. Lake St. After confirming his arrest warrant was still active, several officers traveled to the home because of the suspect’s history of assaulting officers while being detained. Police ultimately found Clemons inside the basement at the residence, along with a variety of paraphernalia, methamphetamine, and marijuana.