Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Paula Bojinoff, 29, Ossian, pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle without ever having received a driver’s license, a Class C misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 60 days in the Wells County Jail, all suspended, and placed on probation for one year. The term of the sentence is to be served consecutive to the terms meted in a Jan. 18 sentencing in Allen County Superior Court on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; knowingly or intentionally operating a motor vehicle while never having received a driver’s license, a Class C misdemeanor; and unsafe movement on a road with two or more lanes, a Class C infraction.
In the Wells County case she was ordered to pay court costs and probation fees. She was also ordered to update her address with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and to make a good faith effort to obtain a valid Indiana driver’s license.
Bojinoff was driving a Ford Taurus south on Jefferson Street in Ossian Jan. 14 when an Ossian police officer decided to check the information on the license plate of the Taurus. The registered owner, who is Bojinoff’s sister, also had a suspended driver’s license. The officer pulled the vehicle over and discovered Bojinoff was the driver, not her sister, and that Bojinoff had never been issued an Indiana driver’s license.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Lisa A. Bailey, 55, Bluffton, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A infraction. Pauper status denied.
A Bluffton police officer recognized Bailey from previous encounters with law enforcement and reportedly knew that she had a suspended driver’s license. When he reportedly saw her driving again Jan. 14 on North Main Street, he pulled the vehicle over and issued her a summons.
Bailey’s license is reportedly suspended until Sept. 30 because of repeated insurance violations.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Derek Delporte, 49, Hartford City, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
A state trooper was behind a Dodge Avenger Delporte was reportedly driving west on Dustman Road Jan. 2. The deputy decided to run the license plate information on the vehicle and discovered that the registered owner — Delporte — had a driver’s license that was suspended indefinitely for failing to appear in court on an infraction charge of driving while suspended.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Denzel Earl Dominick Benson, 31, Bluffton, charged with possession of marijuana with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Tiffany K. House, 34, Bluffton, charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Jeffrey Stineburg appointed public defender. House ordered to pay a $50 supplemental public defender service fee.
On Jan. 23, Bluffton police received a report that Benson and House were both smoking marijuana on the back porch of a Bluffton residence.
A Bluffton police officer responded and as he approached the residence, he reportedly learned from the caller through the police dispatch that the caller had locked both House and Benson out of the residence. Upon seeing the officer, Benson reportedly tried to get back into the residence by tearing the screen off a window.
House was reportedly still on the enclosed back porch. Benson was ordered to exit the home and return to the porch with House. The investigating officer reported being able to smell an odor of marijuana.
Upon further investigation by the officer, Benson allegedly led the officer to a small trash bag in trash can in the yard that allegedly contained two marijuana cigarettes, a grinder two electronic cigarette cartridges, rolling papers, a purple and red smoking pipe that contained burned plant residue, a green and yellow smoking pipe that contained burned plant residue, and a sealed retail package that contained a CBD herb.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Cynthia Marie Cushing, 33, Ossian, charged with one count of theft wherein the value of the property exceeds $750; and seven other counts of theft, all Class A misdemeanors. Bond continued at $5,000. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
Cushing is a former employee of the Ossian Subway restaurant. On Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, she allegedly pocketed money customers paid for food. On Oct. 4, she allegedly dropped money customers had paid for food into a tip jar. On Oct. 15, she allegedly failed to make a deposit of $750. Then on three separate occasions — Oct. 19, 21, and 22 — she allegedly swept all money that had been placed on the counter by customers into a tip jar.
All of the alleged thefts were reportedly captured on the businesses’ video surveillance system.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Ernest Jerome Nelson, 30, Fort Wayne, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct a Class B misdemeanor. Bond continued at $1,000. Jeffrey Stineburg appointed public defender.
While performing security detail for Berne Apparel in Ossian Dec. 22, 2021, an off-duty Wells County Deputy Sheriff reportedly witnessed Nelson fighting with a woman (Nelson is a transgendered woman) in the parking lot of the business. The woman, whom Nelson allegedly claimed was her boyfriend, was identified as Aaron George Shorts, 25, Fort Wayne. Shorts was sentenced Feb. 4 for invasion of privacy as Nelson reportedly had a protective order in place against Shorts.
Nelson allegedly left the parking lot in a vehicle. Her driver’s license is suspended indefinitely following a previous conviction for driving while suspended Dec. 16.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Karri Ann Davis, 33, Bluffton, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Allison Sprunger appointed public defender.
A child called the Bluffton Police Department Jan. 15 concerned about her mother — whom the child identified as Davis — because Davis and Davis’ young son were supposed to be sleeping in a vehicle at Roush Park.
An officer located the vehicle driving away from the Airplane Express convenience store and pulled it over.
During the course of speaking with Davis, the officer discovered that Davis had a suspended driver’s license with an indefinite reinstatement date. She also allegedly admitted that there was marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle allegedly turned up a vaping pen containing a THC cartridge (THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana); a device identified by the officer as a crack pipe, a grinder, a device to roll cigarettes and a pick used to clean smoking devices.
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Logan J. Dillon, 31, Ossian, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .08 percent or more with a prior conviction for the same or a similar offense, a Level 6 felony.
Sentenced to two years in prison, with all but 10 days suspended, and placed on probation for 720 days.
Dillon was credited with spending two days in confinement awaiting disposition of his case.
Ordered to enroll in a substance abuse program, submit a DNA sample, serve 180 days of home detention and pay court costs and probation fees.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction for the same or a similar offense, a Level 6 felony, and speeding, a Class C infraction, were dismissed.
On June 16, 2021, an Ossian police officer received a report of a northbound vehicle on Ind. 1 that was weaving all over the road.
The officer noted in his report that the car entered the downtown 25 mph speed zone of Ossian at nearly 45 mph and was weaving so badly within its lane, the officer believed it was going to strike the sidewalk.
The officer pulled the vehicle over on Jefferson Street near Davis Road. He reported immediately recognizing the driver as Dillon from past encounters with him.
The officer noted in his report to the court that Dillon appeared intoxicated, failed field sobriety tests and blew a .149 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a certified breath test.
In a separate case, Dillon also pleaded guilty to one count of resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.
On that charge he was assessed court costs of $185. As part of a plea agreement in that case, a second count of resisting law enforcement was dismissed.
A sheriff’s deputy pulled over a vehicle on Morton Lane in Ossian June 28, 2021, after noticing it had a cover on the license plate obstructing the plate from view and it also had a cover on one of the taillights.
Dillon reportedly exited the passenger side of the vehicle and angrily confronted the deputy, ignoring the deputy’s commands to get back into the vehicle. Eventually, he ran from the scene but was apprehended without further incident.
