Travis Ray Spoor

WARSAW — A teary-eyed Travis Spoor, 37, Silver Lake, appeared in Kosciusko Superior Court 1 before Judge David Cates today, July 6, to be sentenced in three cases of malicious mischief, level 6 felonies.

Spoor pled guilty to count 1 malicious mischief in three cases. For those charges Spoor was sentenced to two years each at the Indiana Department of Corrections, to be served consecutively. One year from each charge was suspended to be served on probation. This is the maximum allowed executed sentence per the plea agreement. Spoor received one day jail time credit in one action and 112 days credit in a second action.

Spoor signed a duty to warn document in January 2013 after receiving an HIV positive testing, and signed a post-test counseling agreement in October 2015 indicating he is prohibited from engaging in sexual contact with anyone without first informing them of his HIV positive status.

Spoor was first arrested in Kosciusko County in February 2016 after a victim came forward. In October 2016 Spoor was charged with two counts of malicious mischief in Marshall County Superior Court 1, and in December 2016 Spoor was charged with four counts of malicious mischief in Allen County Superior Court 4. The same month, a charge of failure to warn of a communicable disease, level D felony, and malicious mischief, level B misdemeanor, were filed in Wabash Circuit Court.

For more details regarding the victim’s cases, see InkFree’s previous coverage.

Deputy Prosecutor Katy Hampton read two separate victim impact statements from two of Spoor’s victims. Both victims mention thoughts of suicide after discovering Spoor’s HIV status.

Victim 1 stated she was “ashamed, embarrassed and afraid,” further stating that, despite thoughts of retracting the charges in hope that the nightmare would be over, she is glad she came forward if only to inform anyone else who was victimized by Spoor.

Victim 2 called Spoor a sociopath, noting that no sane person would spread a potentially deadly disease. The victim called Spoor out on taking advantage of his victims, adding that it brings her happiness to believe prison will not treat him kindly.

Spoor’s attorney, David Kolbe, made mention several times that Spoor’s acts were inexcusable. That said, Kolbe stated that Spoor was a victim himself, having received HIV from a person who did not tell him they were infected. Kolbe called the HIV positive community a “subculture” in which you tell “everyone you sleep with” that you are infected. He acknowledged that Spoor did not do so, classifying the act as “horrific.”

Kolbe went on to say that after Spoor’s HIV positive testing, Spoor suffered a shoulder injury. While in surgery, nerves were severed and the resulting lack of strength caused a farm accident that amputated Spoor’s right arm. Kolbe stated that while this was no excuse, the court should consider how Spoor felt.

Kolbe further stated that Spoor was remorseful, shown by Spoor’s choice to make plea agreements rather than put his victims on stand in a jury trial.

In a tearful defense, Spoor gave apologies to the victims: “I don’t know the words to explain how bad I feel about it…I wish I could apologize to their faces…if they had any thoughts about their character, it was me, not them…I didn’t set out to hurt them.”

Spoor stated that he was looking for love in other people when he couldn’t love himself. While he believes his problems were given to him to test his strength, he feels he is not a strong person and made horrible decisions. Spoor also told the court that he had considered suicide thinking it would make the victims happy.

Thanks to Kolbe, Spoor has changed counselors and believes that the new counseling and medication he is receiving will be of great benefit to him.

Spoor ended by saying, “I don’t like this place, it’s not me,” referring to being in jail.

Judge Cates had no sympathy for Spoor, and acknowledged the “incredible strength” it took Spoor’s victims to come forward.

“What you did is one of the most selfish things I’ve ever seen,” Cates told Spoor. “What you did was horrifying.”

Cates accepted Spoor’s plea agreement and sentenced him to the maximum allowed executed sentence. “I’ve given you the maximum I could within the plea agreement. I hope you don’t like it.”