Michelle A. Stimmel

WARSAW — Two individuals arrested in August 2014, have received sentences in their court matters. Both were facing multiple charges relating to corrupt business influence, drugs and synthetic drugs.

Michelle L. Stimmel, 37, 6351 Jackson St., Kimmel, was sentenced to the Indiana Department of Corrections to serve a total of seven years on Jan. 4, by Michael W. Reed, Kosciusko County Circuit Court Judge.

Stimmel, through a plea agreement, received three years for dealing in a narcotic drug, more than 5 grams, a level 5 felony; three years for corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony, to be served following the dealing charge, and one year for the conspiracy to commit dealing in a synthetic drug, a level 6 felony. This charge will be served at the same time as the corrupt business charge, and following the dealing charge. She will begin serving the sentence following completion of a sentence in Whitley County for manufacturing synthetic drugs. That sentence will end in January 2018.

Jason Richard Bontrager

Jason Richard Bontrager, 36, 72833 CR 29, Syracuse, was sentenced at the end of 2015. Through a plea agreement, his sentence was suspended to be served on probation. Reed sentenced Bontrager to 1 1/2 years in the county jail on a charge of conspiracy to commit dealing in a synthetic drug, a level 6 felony. The judge suspended the sentence ordering Bontrager to serve the time on probation.

A charge of corrupt business influence, a level 5 felony, was dismissed.

It was on Aug. 14, 2014, Warsaw Police received information an individual was planning to purchase 30 methadone pills from Stimmel at Stimmelator’s Gentleman’s Club in North Webster, a business then owned by her father, Sam Stimmel.

During the investigation it is alleged police heard Sam Stimmel talk about synthetic drugs and prices for those drugs in Elkhart County. The investigation also alleges he provided funding for his daughter to produce the synthetic drugs. Allegedly once she prepared the drugs for distribution, Bontrager and several other individuals would distribute the drugs for profit.

Court documents indicated Michelle Stimmel delivered between 5 and 10 grams of unadultered schedule 1 or 11 substances in Kosciusko County and on the day of her arrest, she conspired to deal a synthetic drug over 5 grams.

More information was learned on Aug. 28, regarding a plan to distribute a batch of synthetic drugs. A search warrant was obtained for Bontrager’s residence where a handgun and small amounts of synthetic drugs were discovered.