Joseph Alexei Deeter

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was sentenced to seven years in prison after burglarizing his father’s home.

Joseph Alexei Deeter, 21, 966 W. CR 400N, Warsaw, was charged with burglary, a level 4 felony; and auto theft, a level 6 felony. Charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and theft were dismissed.

On Aug. 18, 2018, an officer with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary report. The homeowner said he had been out of town for a week and upon his return, he discovered someone had burglarized his residence.

According to court documents, someone had used a key to open a safe in the residence and removed $45,000 in cash. Three rifles, 15 handguns, one shotgun, jewelry, two watches and a crossbow, all valued at over $50,000, were also stolen.

Since the homeowner could not find any signs of forced entry, he suspected his son, Deeter, was responsible for the burglary. At the time, Deeter did not have permission to be inside his father’s residence.

On Aug. 19, 2018, officers received information regarding a stolen vehicle. They received further information that three people, one of which being Deeter, were involved in the theft. One of the officers noticed a watch inside the vehicle and identified it as one of the items stolen from the burglary.

Deeter admitted to the officer that sometime between Aug. 14 and Aug. 16, 2018, he and one other person went to his father’s residence in order to steal money from a safe. During that same time period, Deeter also said they entered the residence to steal handguns, rifles, the shotgun, the safe and the watches.

“This was a difficult case to work for a variety of reasons,” said Defense Attorney David Kolbe. “But the hardest part is that the victim here is Joey’s father. His parents are here in support of him today and his addiction to meth has resulted in a lot of these issues.”

“I’ve hurt my family, me, my friends,” said Deeter. “It’s my turn to try something different.”

Deeter then broke down in tears and turned toward his parents and apologized for his actions.

“This is a breakthrough,” said Kolbe. “I’ve never seen Joey be like this.”

For the count of burglary, Kosciusko County Superior Court 1 Judge David Cates sentenced Deeter to seven years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. For the count of auto theft, Deeter will serve one year at DoC. Both charges will be served concurrently. Cates also recommended Deeter complete the Recovery While Incarcerated program during his incarceration.

“I think this is actually the first time you have been honest with me,” said Cates.