Full Docket of Circuit Court Sentencings
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Staff Writer Deb Patterson contributed to this article.)
A total of 16 people were on today’s Circuit Court docket to be sentenced for crimes ranging from possession and dealing drugs to battery resulting in serious bodily injury.
In the end, some of the sentencings were delayed and others, in an unusual move, were reverted to plea hearings.
Some of the sentencings held today were as follows:
Mark Thurman
Mark Edward Thurman, 40, 1130 E. 300 South, Warsaw, was sentenced to two years in the Indiana Department of Corrections for a conviction of battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a class C felony. With a plea, an additional charge of battery by means of a deadly weapon was dismissed.
Defense attorney Jay Rigdon asked Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed to allow Thurman to fulfill his sentence in the Kosciusko County Jail because he has family and children locally and he would like to stay in touch with them.
“The problem with that is that it’s a class C felony and the law says he should go to IDOC,” said Reed, just prior to handing down the punishment.
Thurman was given credit for 30 days already served was ordered to pay a fine of $1 plus court costs.
Chans Cochran
Chans M. Cochran, 19, 1908 Ironwood Rd., Warsaw, caught a break from the court today by receiving a suspended sentence for a class C felony charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury.
Cochran was sentenced to 4 years in IDOC, but Judge Reed suspended the sentence to be served entirely on probation. Under the terms of probation, Cochran must submit to random drug and alcohol testing.
“You are given an opportunity to stay out of jail, if you come back in here and violate the terms … don’t ask me for a second chance. You get one, and this is it,” Reed said. “And if you think I”m afraid to send you to the IDOC because you’re 19 years of age, you’re wrong.”
David Snyder
David M. Snyder, 21, 75 EMS T13 Ln., Leesburg, received a suspended 3-year prison term. Snyder pleaded guilty to a class D felony charge of intimidation in exchange for a dismissed charge of class C felony sexual misconduct with a minor.
Defense attorney Thomas Earhart asked the court to adopt a recommended punishment by the probation department which places Snyder on probation for three years. Snyder was ordered to have no contact either directly or indirectly with his victim, identified only as S.F., and to stay away from and not even drive past any places S.F. is known to go.
“If you violate any of these terms, you will spend 3 years in the IDOC. Can I make it any clearer than that?” Reed asked Snyder.
Paul Ruckman
Paul Ruckman’s sentencing was continued this morning to 9 a.m. Oct. 18, allowing time to update his pre-sentence information and for the state, defense and judge to discuss restitution.
Ruckman, 28, of 4980 E. 900 S., Claypool, entered a plea agreement on July 12 on a charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury.
Reed noted there was not the time available nor was it the place to deal with the matter of restitution. He indicated he had received paperwork in regards to that matter which also involved a co-defendant, Toran Savant.
He noted he would be scheduling a conference for the purpose to consider matters pertaining to the restitution for those due restitution an opportunity to be heard. “I don’t know what else to do but to have him reappear,” said Reed.
Ruckman’s charge stemmed from an April 2012 matter. Savant was already sentenced on June 14, for battery resulting in bodily injury, class A misdemeanor based on plea agreement with the other count, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, being dismissed. Savan had been incarcerated since the incident and was sentenced to time served.
David M. Skaggs
One charge was dropped against David M. Skaggs, 45, of Mentone, in a plea agreement, which netted him four years at the Indiana Department of Corrections for possession of methamphetamine, a class C felony.
Skaggs’ plea agreement was accepted this morning by Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Rex Reed. He was given 342 days jail time credit but ordered to pay the minimal drug interdiction fee, fines and cost.
In exchange for his plea, the charge of dealing methamphetamine in an amount in excess of three grams was dismissed.
April D. Rogers
April D. Rogers, 32, 8280 E. U.S. 30, Lot 34, Pierceton, was returned to the custody of Whitley County authorities after her sentencing in Kosciusko County this morning on a plea agreed charge of dealing in methamphetamine a class D felony.
Additional charges of possession of meth and possession of chemical reagents or precursors with intent to manufacture a controlled substance were dropped.
Reed administered the sentence after no additions or corrections were made
to the pre-sentence agreement. Reed, referring to the information in the agreement simply said, “Sad. It is what it is.”
Rogers was sentenced to six years in prison with jail time credit of six days. However, the judge was asked to, and will reconsider additional jail time credit as she has been incarcerated from March 9 through Sept. 5 on another charge. Her sentence will be executed following a hearing in Whitley County on Oct. 15.
Rogers, who is an indigent individual, was ordered to pay the drug interdiction fee, fines and costs, but her inability to pay those fees is not to be a means to continue her incarceration.
