A co-defendant in a case involving Zachary Bastin was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court this week.

Cody Sobieck pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary as a Class B felony and was sentenced to six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with three years suspended to be served on home detention. Sobieck also pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal mischief as a Class D felony. He was sentenced to 14 months in the DOC with seven months suspended to be served on home detention.

The sentences will run concurrently or at the same time.

He was also ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $9,454.54.

Zachary Bastin

A 22-year prison sentence was handed down to a Grovertown man in Starke Circuit Court on three serious charges.

Zachary Bastin, 21, was sentenced within an agreed recommendation filed with the court.

Bastin pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary as a Class B felony and was sentenced to 12 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. Bastin also pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary as a Class C felony and was sentenced to five years in the DOC. He was sentenced to two years in the DOC on a charge of receiving stolen property as a Class D felony. No part of any sentence was suspended.

Bastin also admitted to a probation violation to which he was sentenced to three years in the DOC with none suspended.

All of the sentences will run consecutively to each other for a total of 22 years.

He was also ordered to pay restitution to three separate entities in the total amount of $10,204.54.

Samantha Smith

A woman who is reportedly connected with a Monday night battery incident in Wythogan Park in Knox was in Starke Circuit Court for her initial hearing Friday morning.

Samantha Smith, 19, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assisting a criminal, a Level 6 felony. Smith was reportedly in a car that left the scene of a battery incident in Wythogan Park. Timothy Lemon was appointed as her attorney.

The battery was reported to police shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday night where a juvenile boy allegedly struck another juvenile boy. The force of the hit caused the victim to fall to the concrete walkway where his head made contact. The juvenile left the scene in a vehicle. Smith was allegedly in the car.

The suspect was taken into custody on Monday night while Smith was arrested on Tuesday.

The case remains under investigation with the Knox City Police Department.

Alexis Houston was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Tuesday morning.

Houston previously pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of possession of methamphetamine as a Class D felony and visiting a common nuisance as a Class B misdemeanor.

Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement. Houston was sentenced to two years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with one year suspended to be served on probation on the charge of possession of methamphetamine. She was also sentenced to serve six months in the Starke County Jail with no part of the sentence suspended on the charge of visiting a common nuisance. The sentence was permitted to be served on home detention.

The sentences will run concurrently, or at the same time.

Three Knox residents were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Wednesday morning.

Kayla Maassen, 21, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of a legend drug, both Class D felonies. She was sentenced to serve 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with nine months suspended to be served on probation on each charge. The remaining part of the sentence was permitted to be served with Starke County Community Corrections with daily reporting. The sentences will run concurrently, or at the same time.

Lisa Clemons, 38, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine. She was sentenced to 18 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with all of that time suspended to be served on probation. She was ordered to attend drug rehabilitation programs as recommended by probation. Clemons has a prior criminal history but explained to the judge that she participated in drug treatment before and successfully completed it. She said she has stayed sober since then.

Linda Sweet, 51, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of battery as a Class D felony. She admitted to scratching and causing injury to a Knox City Police Department officer as he was attempting to take her into custody. She was sentenced to 12 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with all of the sentence suspended to be served on probation. One of the requirement in her sentence is for her to take all medication prescribed by her doctor and to continue in psychiatric and therapy sessions.

A Monterey man pleaded guilty to marijuana charges and was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday morning.

Roland Minix, 49, pleaded guilty to charges of possession of marijuana under 30 grams and possession of marijuana with a prior conviction.

The two charges merged into one when he was sentenced. Judge Kim Hall accepted his plea agreement with the state to a term of 24 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with 12 months suspended to be served on probation. The remainder of his sentence was permitted to be served on daily reporting home detention through Starke County Community Corrections.

He will also attend drug treatment programs as recommended by Starke County Community Corrections.

A Knox woman is going to prison after a sentencing hearing yesterday morning.

Tiffany Witham, 32, admitted to a probation violation and to a charge of possession of a controlled substance as a Class D felony.

She was arrested in February after a traffic stop in North Judson where she was in possession of a controlled substance without a doctor’s prescription. Probation officer Annette Warkentien testified during the hearing stating that Witham lacked cooperation with the department. While Witham admitted that she had a drug problem, she would not follow through with treatment programs.

Her attorney, Richard Ballard, argued that Witham has changed the friends that she hangs around with and has attempted to improve her life. She had been approved to complete her sentence with Starke County Community Corrections.

After hearing the arguments, Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and Witham was sentenced to 12 months in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended on the probation violation and 18 months with no part of the sentence suspended on the charge of possession of a controlled substance. Those sentences will run consecutively for a total of 30 months in the DOC.

However, Judge Hall did not permit Witham to serve her sentence on home detention. He said he thought it would be a mistake for her to serve her sentence on home detention as the temptation to do drugs would be heightened. While incarcerated, she could take part in 24 hour a day drug treatment program. If she successfully completes a program, she could petition the court for a sentence modification.

She was taken directly from the courtroom to the Starke County Jail after her hearing.

Two Knox residents were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday morning.

Gordon Sheib, Jr., 40, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of neglect of a dependent and false informing. He admitted in court that he told his daughter to live elsewhere when she was a dependent child in his custody. At the time of the incident, Sheib told police that his daughter was emancipated when she in fact was not.

Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and Sheib received a sentence of 12 months in the Indiana Department of Corrections with the entire sentence suspended on the charge of neglect of a dependent. He was sentenced to 12 months in the DOC with the sentence suspended to be served on probation. The sentences will run concurrently, or at the same time.

Tracy Napierkowski pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of theft as a Class D felony. She admitted in court that she took a pair of boots from Smith Farm Store in Knox without paying for them.

Judge Hall accepted the plea agreement. Napierkowski was sentenced per the terms of that agreement to 18 months in the DOC. Her sentence was permitted to be served on home detention by means of electronic monitoring through Starke County Community Corrections.

A Knox man pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two charges in Starke Circuit Court Thursday morning.

Frank Solberg, 44, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of intimidation as a Class C felony and interference with reporting a crime as a misdemeanor. He admitted in open court that he threatened the life of his mother with a butcher knife if she were to call the police at the height of an argument. He also admitted that he ripped the telephone off the wall so she could not dial 911 to seek help from law enforcement.

Solberg suffers from Schizophrenia which was a factor in this case.  Doctors who evaluated Solberg indicated that he would be able to appear in court as a competent defendant.

He was sentenced to six years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with three years suspended to be served on probation on the charge of intimidation. The remaining part of his sentence will be served in the DOC. Judge Kim Hall made it a part of the ruling that Solberg be placed in a segregated unit for inmates who suffer with psychological issues. He is to keep up with his medications and to be evaluated.

On the charge of interference with reporting a crime, he was sentenced to 12 months in the Starke County Jail with no part of the sentence suspended. Solberg will be given credit time for the time he has been incarcerated in the Starke County Jail. He has been incarcerated since the offense occurred on Sept. 12.

Two defendants will be going to trial after hearings this week in Starke Circuit Court.

Chase Mareska failed to provide proof of acceptance to home detention as outlined in his plea agreement. Judge Kim Hall rejected his plea agreement and set his case for trial on Sept. 3 at 9 a.m.

Cheyenne Tolson, 23, was set to plead guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a theft charge and to a probation violation, but testimony given by both the victim in the case and Tolson caused Judge Kim Hall to reject Tolson’s plea agreement and set her case for trial. The victim and Tolson had a conflict in versions of how the alleged theft occurred. Judge Hall stated that Tolson appears to have a pattern of stealing from people after looking into her criminal history.

Her trial was scheduled for Sept. 3 at 9 a.m.

Eric Taylor

A jury trial is scheduled for today and tomorrow in Starke Circuit Court.

Eric Taylor has been charged with six counts from an incident on March 13 in Starke County: dealing in methamphetamine as a Class B Felony, possession of chemical reagents or precursors with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine as a Class D felony, possession of methamphetamine as a Class D felony, possession of a syringe as a Class D felony, maintaining a common nuisance as a Class D felony and possession of paraphernalia as a Class A misdemeanor.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mary Ryan will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did commit this crime. Four witnesses will be called on behalf of the state. Defense Attorney Timothy Lemon said in open court Tuesday afternoon that he would not be calling any witnesses.

A 12-member jury will be chosen this morning. Proceedings will begin at 9 a.m.

Eric Taylor

Verdicts have returned in a jury trial in Starke Circuit Court.

Eric Taylor was found not guilty on charges of dealing in methamphetamine, a Class B felony, and possession of chemical reagents or precursors with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, a Class D felony. The jury was deadlocked on the last four counts for a mistrial. Those counts included possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, maintaining a common nuisance, and possession of paraphernalia.

A status hearing on the matter will be held on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. CT.

The trial began on Wednesday morning with jury selection and testimony continued until Thursday late afternoon. The jury went into deliberations shortly after 5 p.m. and deliberated for five hours before coming up with a verdict.

Several defendants were sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Thursday morning.

Devin Trusty pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the State to a charge of operating a vehicle with a lifetime suspension. Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese accepted the plea agreement which called for a sentence of three years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended. While incarcerated, trusty will participate in a therapeutic community. If he successfully completes the CLIFF or GRIP program, he may petition the court for a modification of his sentence.

Richard Swafford pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to charges of resisting law enforcement, an operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OVWI) and an OVWI charge with a prior conviction. During sentencing, the two OVWI charges merged into the felony count of OVWI with a prior conviction as a Class D felony. It was set for a discretionary sentence. Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Swafford to 36 months in the DOC. Calabrese said his sentence was permitted to be served on home detention with GPS monitoring through Newton County Community Corrections. He must also attend drug rehabilitation classes. His driver’s license was suspended for another 18 months.

Matthew Lamarr was sentenced to three years of work release in Pulaski County after pleading guilty in a plea agreement with the state to a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

Brandon Ferch, 27, of Hamlet, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a controlled substance, a Class D felony. He was sentenced to 13 months in the DOC with seven months suspended to be served on probation. The remaining part of his sentence was permitted to be served on home detention through Starke County Community Corrections. He was also ordered to complete drug rehabilitation.

James Miller, 34, of North Judson, pleaded guilty to stalking as a Class D felony. His plea agreement with the state was accepted by Magistrate Jeanene Calabrese which called for a 24 month sentence in the Department of Corrections with no part of the sentence suspended. He was permitted to serve that sentence on home detention. He was ordered to take his psychiatric medications as prescribed by a doctor.

Enoch Berryman, 22, was sentenced to 18 months in the Department of Corrections with 12 months suspended to be served on probation after he pleaded guilty to a merged count of possession of marijuana with a prior conviction. As per the plea agreement with the state that Magistrate Calabrese accepted, he was permitted to serve the rest of his sentence on daily reporting home detention through Starke County Community Corrections.

Two sentence modification requests were brought before Judge Kim Hall in Starke Circuit Court on Wednesday morning.

Matthew Baker formerly pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to dealing methamphetamine. He told the court that he participated in the CLIFF program and successfully completed it. It was part of his plea agreement in order to have the opportunity to modify his sentence. Baker has been going to Narcotics Anonymous classes once a week and has completed 12 hours of community service. His home was searched while on house arrest and no contraband was found. A case worker from Starke County Community Corrections testified about Baker’s character and confirmed his completion of requirements through Starke County Community Corrections. The judge granted the motion to move Baker from community corrections home detention electronic monitoring to daily reporting for 12 months. He will need to continue attending N.A. meetings.

Robert Singleton, who was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine, requested that he be taken off home detention electronic monitoring to probation. Court documents indicated that he had taken 30 drug screens and breathalyzer tests and all were negative. Singleton also had successfully completed the Thinking for a Change program during his sentence. He had his home searched as well and no contraband had been found. Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mary Ryan did not object to the modification to home detention daily reporting but could not support a modification to probation due to a mandate to serve a minimum sentence. Judge Hall approved the motion to modify his sentence to home detention with daily reporting.

Steven Richie was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday morning.

Judge Kim Hall accepted a plea agreement between Richie and the State of Indiana in which Richie pleaded guilty to a possession of marijuana charge plus a charge of possession of marijuana with a previous conviction to merge into one Class D felony charge. Richie was sentenced to serve 20 months with no part of the sentence suspended.

Richie also pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to appear and he was sentenced to 18 months with no part of the sentence suspended. Another count of failure to appear was dismissed in this plea agreement.

The sentences will run consecutively.

The State and the defense argued how Richie would serve that sentence and Judge Hall ultimately granted the sentence to be served on home detention with electronic monitoring through Starke County Community Corrections.

Eric Taylor

Eric Taylor will be on trial again to face the four counts in which resulted in a hung jury.

Eric Taylor was on trial for two days in Starke Circuit Court which ended with not guilty verdicts on charges of dealing in methamphetamine and possession of chemical reagents or precursors with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine. The jury was deadlocked on counts of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a syringe, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of paraphernalia. The jury deliberated for five hours.

In a court hearing on Wednesday afternoon, it was determined that Taylor will go to trial again on the four counts that caused a hung jury. That is set for Oct. 22 at 9 a.m.

In the meantime, a plea recommendation has been reached in another case where Taylor is facing a charge of possession by a meth offender. That hearing is set for Thursday, Aug. 27 at 9 a.m.

Starke County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Dulin and Prosecutor Nick Bourff speak to the media about the June 6, 2014 carjacking and ensuing pursuit.

The rural Knox man accused of beating his wife to death, kidnapping a man from a business parking lot, stealing a Jeep at gunpoint in English Lake and leading authorities on a high-speed chase through three counties before shooting himself is back in Starke County. Detective Rob Olejniczak from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Jailer Joshua Kazee picked Gary Chavez up from the Cook County, Ill. jail today.

He’s jailed without bond on charges of murder, kidnapping and carjacking stemming from the June 6^th incident. Sheriff’s deputies found the body of his wife, Kimberly Chavez, under a tarp in the yard of the couple’s rural Knox home. A forensic autopsy found she died of blunt force trauma.

Investigators believe Chavez left his house, drove to Mark Bailey’s Discount Center on State Road 10, brandished a gun at a store employee and demanded his vehicle. While driving to English Lake, Chavez reportedly confessed to killing his wife. When he got there, he dumped his passenger and stole a second vehicle. It broke down near Kouts. Authorities in Porter County say Chavez pulled a gun on two men who stopped to help him and stole their truck. That’s what he was driving when police in Lake County used stop sticks in an attempt to end the pursuit on Interstate 65 in Crown Point. Chavez shot himself as an officer was approaching and has been hospitalized in Chicago until recently. He will appear in Starke Circuit Court for an initial hearing next week. Chavez also faces a charge in Porter County.

The man accused of beating his estranged wife to death at a home in Knox, kidnapping an employee in a vehicle from Mark Bailey’s Discount Center, and carjacking a vehicle from a couple in English Lake appeared in Starke Circuit Court Monday afternoon for his initial hearing.

Gary Chavez pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping and carjacking. He told Judge Kim Hall that his family is working on getting an attorney for him. An attorney status hearing is set for Sept. 5 at 9 a.m. but will be vacated if a notice of an attorney has been filed with the court. His omnibus date was set for Oct. 9.

Chavez remains in the Starke County Jail with no bond.

It is alleged that on June 6 Chavez beat his estranged wife, Kimberly Chavez, to death at his home in Knox. After the act, Chavez allegedly traveled to Mark Bailey’s Discount in North Judson, pointed a gun at an employee and ordered him to move to the passenger seat and commandeered the vehicle. Chavez then reportedly stopped at a home in English Lake and stole a vehicle at a residence at gunpoint.

Those are the incidents in which he has been charged in Starke County. He could face other charges in Porter County in a continuation of the course of events alleged in Starke County. According to a police report, he stole another vehicle outside of Kouts in Porter County and led police on a chase until stop sticks halted his progress. It was when officers approached his vehicle that he shot himself in the face.

A Starke County deputy and a jailer extradited Chavez back to Starke County to face charges here last week. He had been hospitalized in a Chicago-area hospital and was being held in the Cook County Jail.

A Starke County man was sentenced in Starke Circuit Court Monday morning on several drug charges.

Corbin Gayheart pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the state to three charges in two separate cases. Judge Kim Hall accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Gayheart per the terms of that agreement.

Gayheart will serve 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with two years suspended on a charge of possession of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a public park as a Class B felony. He was given an 18-month sentence with no part of the sentence suspended on a charge of possession of precursors or chemical reagents with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine as a Class D felony. Those sentences will run concurrently, or at the same time.

In another case, Gayheart was sentenced to 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections with two years suspended on the charge of dealing in a controlled substance as a Class B felony. This sentence will run consecutively to the sentence in the other case. The suspended time in his sentences will be served on probation.

If he participates in and successfully completes drug rehabilitation treatment in a therapeutic community while incarcerated, he may petition the court for a modification of his sentence.

The trial of John Lenig continues today in Starke Circuit Court.

Lenig has been charged with burglary as a Class C felony and criminal mischief as a misdemeanor charge. The jury was selected yesterday and testimony by the state’s witness and the defense will move forward today.

Three days have been set aside in the court’s calendar for the trial. WKVI News will have the verdict after it is delivered in court.