Staff Report

WARSAW — A Syracuse man was sentenced in Kosciusko County Circuit Court Monday, Sept. 20, on charges related to a March incident at the county work release center.

Kyle Colby Thompson

Kyle Colby Thompson, 35, 3672 E. 1300N, Syracuse, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine, a level 6 felony; and to resisting law enforcement and trespassing, both class A misdemeanors.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, on March 7, a Winona Lake Police officer responded to a dispatch of an irate visitor at the Kosciusko County Work Release Center on Center Street in Warsaw. 

Upon arrival, the Winona Lake officer saw a Warsaw Police officer speaking with work release staff at the front door of the KC Work Release Center. Police were informed that Thompson had just left in the direction of the Deluxe Inn.

Thompson was, at that time, allegedly the boyfriend of one of the female inmates at the work release center. Staff there told police that Thompson had been very agitated when he was inside the building and had been yelling, making unreasonable noise and pacing in the hallways. Work release staff said they were concerned about the erratic behavior and believed Thompson to be under the influence of drugs.

Efforts were made to get Thompson to calm down and leave the facility, but he refused to comply and had to be physically removed by staff.

While standing at the entrance to the work release center, police heard yelling coming from the area of the Deluxe Inn. Upon reaching the Deluxe Inn, officers saw a man, later identified as Thompson, standing beside a vehicle in the Deluxe Inn parking lot.

As an officer approached, Thompson began to run through the parking lot in the direction of the Wyndham Garden Hotel. The officer yelled for Thompson to stop, but Thompson continued running through the parking lot at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, toward the hotel entrance. The officer again yelled for Thompson to stop, and Thompson stopped by the southeast entrance door to the building.

The officer approached, drew his taser and ordered Thompson to get on the ground. Thompson failed to comply with the officer’s commands.

Once again, the officer ordered Thompson to the ground, but Thompson turned and ran south, then turned west and entered the front door of the hotel, yelling unintelligibly. Two officers were able to subdue Thompson in the hallway of the hotel, near the elevator. While on the ground, Thompson continued to physically struggle with police and refused to comply with commands. During the struggle, Thompson knocked one officer’s body camera off his vest.

Once officers got Thompson on his feet, they found a hypodermic syringe and a small black zipper pouch containing more syringes on the floor underneath his right side. A total of seven syringes and two cotton balls were found. Police also found a plastic container with a white crystal substance in Thompson’s pants pocket. The substance field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

During the investigation, officers received a screenshot from the video surveillance system, positively identifying Thompson as the disruptive person inside the work release center. 

Pro Tem Judge James R. Heuer sentenced Thompson to one year at the Kosciusko County Jail for each of the three charges, for a total of three years.

Sentences for the charges of resisting law enforcement and trespassing were ordered to be served concurrently, meaning at the same time, but consecutive to the sentence imposed for the charge of possession of methamphetamine. 

Thompson was given 11 days of jail time credit.

Heuer said he has no objection to Thompson serving the sentence through work release or community corrections if Thompson meets eligibility requirements. 

Additional charges were dismissed, pursuant to the plea agreement.