Hanley Warren Chapman Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

Hanley Warren Chapman
Hanley Warren Chapman
Hanley Warren Chapman was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday afternoon.

Chapman was arrested on Aug. 7, 2013 after he fired three shots into the floor of his home with his brother-in-law present. The SWAT team was called to the home in North Judson in order to assist the North Judson Police Department in taking him into custody. The SWAT team entered the home and found Chapman in a room in the basement. He was highly intoxicated at the time he was taken to the Starke County Jail.

Attorney Timothy Lemon and the State of Indiana came to an initial plea agreement where Chapman would plead guilty to charges of Criminal Recklessness and Resisting Law Enforcement, but Judge Kim Hall rejected the plea agreement as he had questions about the factual basis regarding both charges. He questioned the fact that Chapman actually physically resisted arrest and also questioned the fact that Chapman knew that his brother-in-law was in the room when he fired the gun.

During Thursday’s hearing, an affidavit was presented where Chapman’s brother-in-law stated that he knew that Chapman was intoxicated and knew there was a gun near him. He asked Chapman to hand him the gun and as Chapman was handing him the gun, the gun was pointed to the floor and Chapman fired three shots into the floor. No one was injured in the incident.

“I didn’t want to hurt anybody,” he tearfully told Judge Hall in a statement he was allowed to make during his hearing.

In the amended plea agreement, the charge of Resisting Law Enforcement was dropped and a report from Porter-Starke Services was included that explained Chapman’s needs as far as mental health treatment and medications.

Judge Hall accepted the amended plea agreement and accepted Chapman’s plea of guilty on a charge of Criminal Recklessness as a Class D felony. He was sentenced to serve two years in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended. He was permitted to serve that sentence on home detention with electronic monitoring through Knights Community Corrections through LaPorte. He was also ordered to complete all treatment recommended by Porter-Starke Services which includes intensive treatment for alcohol and mental health needs. He was also given good time credit of 205 days.