WARSAW — An Elkhart man pleaded his case that time in jail has helped him to realize his reasons for making the mistakes that landed him in jail.

Jacob Scott Yeazel

Jacob Scott Yeazel, 38, 25551 Modrell Avenue, Elkhart, was in Kosciusko Circuit Court on Monday, Nov. 26, to receive a sentence for possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony; possession of paraphernalia, a class C misdemeanor; and reckless driving, a class C misdemeanor. Yeazel pleaded guilty to those charges on Sept. 24.

The charges stem from a car chase in April where police reported pursuing a vehicle driven by Yeazel through three counties before Yeazel’s vehicle gave out and police took him into custody in a field.

Yeazel’s attorney, Matthew Buehler, presented several documents into evidence that were designed to illustrate Yeazel’s status as a model prisoner in Elkhart County, where the defendant is currently serving a sentence for other charges.

One document was a letter from his supervisor in the jail kitchen where Yeazel serves as a trustee. The other document is a certificate of achievement earned by Yeazel. “He’s not just sitting around waiting for his time to be done,” said Buehler. “He’s taking action.” Yeazel said the root of his problem is chemical dependency.

“I realized I have a drug addiction,” said Yeazel. “I’m wanting to rehabilitate myself.”

Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed sentenced Yeazel to one year each for the two felony charges and 60 days each for the two misdemeanors. He ordered one felony and one misdemeanor to be served concurrently and pattered the sentence for the other two charges the same way, creating a total time to be served as one year and 60 days. The two felony charges came with sentences with the Indiana Department of Corrections, but Reed told Yeazel that if he can get accepted into community corrections, he would adjust those sentences to be served in the county jail.

“This was a serious matter,” said Reed. “You were fortunate that nobody got hurt.”