By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

Codi Allen Stout

WARSAW – A Mentone man will serve a five-year sentence locally after illegally driving a vehicle due to forfeiture of his license.

Codi Allen Stout, 36, 502 W. Jackson St., Mentone, was charged with operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life, a level 5 felony.

Stout was sentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court Three on Monday, Dec. 1.

Kosciusko Superior Court Three Judge Chad Miner sentenced Stout to five years in the Kosciusko County Jail, with one year executed and four years suspended on probation. He showed no objection to Stout serving the executed time through the Kosciusko County Work Release or Community Corrections programs. Stout is eligible for KCCC and approved for work release.

Stout has 69 days of jail time credit. His sentence will be served back-to-back to two additional criminal cases.

At sentencing, Defense Attorney William Kirkwood said Stout didn’t update his residential address to receive paperwork related to his specialized driving privileges. Kirkwood requested time served and probation for the sentence, noting Stout’s wife was pregnant and that he has a job waiting for him upon his release from incarceration.

“The address change was my fault,” said Stout. “Failure is not an option for me anymore.”

Miner noted Stout’s criminal history consisted of a lot of motor vehicular offenses, but that Stout had not been convicted of operating while intoxicated since 2012. Stout told the court he completed a 30-day rehabilitation program in Indianapolis in June.

“You’ve taken serious steps to improve your situation and are making an effort, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here,” said Miner.

Affidavit Of Probable Cause

On Sept. 23, the Mentone town marshal was patrolling when he noticed a vehicle owned by Stout, who had a driving status of habitual traffic violator for life.

The marshal pulled the vehicle over and identified Stout as its driver. Stout said he had a conditional license but was unable to provide paperwork.

Stout was previously convicted of operating a vehicle with a lifetime suspension in Kosciusko County in December 2020. His driving privileges were suspended for life in April 2015.