Indiana Court of Appeals Upholds Starke Circuit Court Sentence

 The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a sentence imposed against Dennis Wireman in Starke Circuit Court.

Wireman was convicted in 2013 on three counts of illegal possession of a controlled substance as a Class D felony in two separate cases, plus a Class D felony charges of illegal possession of a syringe and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction.

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Judge to Review Evidence in Corbin Case

 Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall took evidence under advisement that was presented in a 404B hearing Tuesday morning. The hearing involved the argument surrounding the allowance of evidence into a trial where Robert Corbin is a defendant.

It is alleged that Corbin and a student at Knox High School exchanged inappropriate messages while he was a teacher at the school corporation. The acts reportedly happened in a time period between January and March 2012. Corbin was arrested in the beginning of April 2012 on two counts of attempted child seduction as a Class D felony.

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Two Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

 Two were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday afternoon.

Shayna Howard pleaded guilty to a charge of residential entry as a Class D felony. On June 29, she said she entered the wrong home after a party in which she became highly intoxicated. Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Howard to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with the sentence suspended to be served on probation. As part of the plea agreement, she will need to attend substance abuse classes or any other program recommended by the probation department.

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Howard Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Stabbing Incident

Benton Chrisopher Howard
Benton Christopher Howard

Benton Christopher Howard appeared in Starke Circuit Court for his initial hearing Wednesday afternoon.

On Nov. 30, Howard allegedly stabbed Brandon Davidson at a residence in Knox with a knife with a six to eight inch blade. The knife caused damage to Davidson’s heart and collapsed a lung.

A warrant was issued for Howard’s arrest and he turned himself into the Starke County Jail on Friday, Dec. 12.

Howard, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony, and aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony. A Level 1 felony carries a sentence of 20 to 40 years if convicted while a Level 3 felony carries a sentence of three to six years.

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Reyes Sentenced to 17 Years in DOC

 A Grovertown man was sentenced to serve 17 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections during a hearing in Starke Circuit Court yesterday.

Ryan Reyes, 19, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to two counts of child molesting as a Class B felony in two separate cases and criminal mischief as a Class D felony in a separate case.

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Culver Woman Sentenced to Probation

  A Culver woman was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of possession of methamphetamine as a Class D felony that was reduced to a Class A misdemeanor.

Erin Schoberg was sentenced to 12 months in the Starke County Jail. All of the sentence was suspended to be served on probation. Schoberg told Judge Kim Hall that she was in possession of a half of a pill that was in her purse.

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Robert Corbin Pleads Not Guilty to Three New Charges

Robert "Ryan" Corbin
Robert “Ryan” Corbin

New charges have been filed against Robert Corbin in Starke Circuit Court.

Corbin, 30, pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual misconduct with a minor as a Class B felony and two counts of child seduction as a Class C felony and as a Class D felony. He allegedly had sexual intercourse and exchanged inappropriate messages with a then-15-year-old female in between January and March of 2012. He was employed at the Knox High School at the time of these alleged incidents.

Judge Kim Hall set his bond at $3,000 cash. He will retain his current counsel who is representing him in an active case that is set for trial on Jan. 14. In that case, Corbin allegedly sent inappropriate Facebook messages to a then-16-year-old student in 2012.

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Family Dollar Store Manager Charged with Theft

 The General Manager at the Family Dollar store in Knox pleaded not guilty to a charge of theft in an initial hearing in Starke Circuit Court yesterday.

Casey Anthony, 28, of South Bend, is accused of stealing $19,430.31 from the store in a one-time theft in between March and April of this year. Anthony was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 25 and has since has bonded out of jail on a $5,000 surety bond. Anthony told Judge Kim Hall that he is working on retaining an attorney to defend him.

North Judson Resident Sentenced to Probation

  Julie Serrano was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to a felony charge of resisting law enforcement and a misdemeanor charge of battery on a law enforcement officer.

Serrano pleaded guilty to those charges in a plea agreement with the state which Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall accepted. Serrano was sentenced to 24 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with all of the sentence suspended to be served on probation. She was sentenced to six months in the Starke County Jail on the charge of battery on a law enforcement officer with all of the time suspended to be served on probation. Those sentences will be served consecutively.

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Jeremy Rowe Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

 A man who was involved in a burglary incident in December 2011 was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court yesterday.

Jeremy Rowe pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state on charges of burglary and receiving stolen property as Class B felonies. The court accepted the agreement where Rowe was sentenced to 15 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with three years suspended to be served on probation on the charge of burglary. The remaining 12 years was permitted to be served on LaPorte County Work Release.

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Domestic Violence Defendant Sentenced to Probation

 A man was sentenced to probation in a hearing in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon.

William Jones pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of domestic battery as a Class D felony. Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and Jones was sentenced to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with the entire sentence suspended to be served on probation. Jones must pay a $50 domestic violence fee along with court costs.

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Curtis DeVries Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

  Curtis DeVries was sentenced Monday afternoon in Starke Circuit Court.

A 12-member jury found Curtis DeVries not guilty on a charge of burglary, but he was found guilty on a lesser included offense of residential entry, a Class D felony. The jury also found DeVries guilty on a charge of criminal mischief as a Class A misdemeanor. The verdicts came in on Friday, Oct. 24.

Judge Kim Hall told DeVries Monday that he has a large drinking problem that he needs to get under control. Judge Hall stated that if he hadn’t have consumed such a large amount of alcohol on the night of this event, he wouldn’t be in court facing a sentence.

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Probation Given to Hard-Working North Judson Man

 A good employment record and a commitment to help his mother with Alzheimers were just a couple of factors in Russell Hendron’s favor when it came to his sentencing hearing in Starke Circuit Court.

Hendron was charged with maintaining a common nuisance and possession of methamphetamine. Hendron took the stand where he explained that he had held at position at a North Judson business for three decades. He left his long-time employment to care for his mother who moved into his home after being diagnosed with Alzheimers. He said that he’s been working out of his home attempting to make ends meet. He accepted that fact that what he did was wrong and is ready to put this behind him.

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Miltenberger Sentenced to Three Years in the DOC

 Charles Miltenberger III, 23, pleaded guilty in plea agreements with the state to three counts in two different cases in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday morning.

Miltenberger pleaded guilty in one case to Class D felony counts of auto theft and arson. He admitted that he stole a 1999 Grand Prix on the side of the road by Hamlet on May 12, 2014. He also admitted that he set that vehicle on fire.

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Sentencing Hearing Set for Jeremy Rowe

  A defendant in an incident in January of 2012 where a man was robbed, ordered to a bank at gunpoint and severely beaten appeared in Starke Circuit Court yesterday for a status hearing.

Jeremy Rowe has pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of burglary and receiving stolen property in his alleged participation in the event. His brother, Randall Rowe, was previously sentenced to 25 years in prison in his involvement in this incident and is currently serving time in the Indiana Department of Corrections.

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Two Sentenced in Starke Circuit Court

 Two defendants were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday.

Carter Scutchfield pleaded guilty to an amended charge of receiving stolen auto parts as a Class D felony. The sentence was presented as an agreed recommendation to Judge Kim Hall. Per that recommendation, Scutchfield was sentenced to 26 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended.

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