By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — A Warsaw man has received a little more than three year sentence related to a garage incident that occurred last year.

Ryan Michael Kennelly, 35, was sentenced for unlawful possession of a syringe, a Level 6 felony; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.

Ryan Michael Kennelly

Two other charges, including a Level 4 burglary charge, were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

He was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court 1 on Monday, March 7.

According to a probable cause affidavit, on Oct. 15, 2021, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call regarding someone trying enter a house through an attached garage.

The deputy talked with a man at the home who said he thought the person trying to come into the house was still in the garage. The deputy found Kennelly inside.

When Kennelly raised his hands in response to the deputy’s command, he dropped a cordless impact driver.

Kennelly told police a woman had allowed him to enter the garage. When police then questioned four people who lived in the house, they said Kennelly didn’t have permission to be in the garage.

Officers then looked at Kennelly’s truck, which was parked in a field next to the house. They discovered the license plate didn’t match the vehicle.

Officers found a marijuana grinder containing marijuana in plain view in the truck and a syringe.

At the sentencing, Deputy Prosecutor Joe Sobek noted that Kennelly has an “extensive history” criminally. He asked that Kosciusko Superior Court 1 Judge Karin McGrath not allow Kennelly to serve his sentence through community corrections, but added that work release was fine.

Defense Attorney Nick Jacobs said Kennelly was “interested in work release.” He added that work release would be good for him because Kennelly has child support to pay.

Kennelly acknowledged his criminal background in a statement to McGrath. He expressed a willingness to be placed on home detention while staying at the local residential recovery program, Serenity House.

“I need to get out of that,” he said referring to his former lifestyle.

McGrath commended Kennelly for recognizing the need for help.

For unlawful possession of a syringe, she sentenced him to two and half years with one and a half executed and the rest to be served through probation.

She sentenced him to six months for possession of marijuana and 60 days for possession of paraphernalia. The time for each will run concurrently, she said.

McGrath said she was fine with Kennelly serving the executed portion of his sentence through Kosciusko County Work Release. She said she might modify his sentence later on if he does well with the first half of the executed portion.

That modification would mean that Kennelly would serve the rest of the executed portion on home detention at Serenity House or at home.

McGrath also credited Kennelly with three days of jail time.