Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Chad Michael Strubing, 42, Ossian, charged with unlawful possession of a hypodermic syringe, a Level 6 felony, possession of a Schedule I, II, III, or IV controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; and possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor. Bond continued at $7,000. Jeffrey Stineburg appointed public defender.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Strubing’s Silo Farms mobile home park residence March 24 on a report that he might have overdosed on fentanyl.
During the course of the investigation, a deputy noted in his report to the court that he found hypodermic syringes, the attention deficit disorder drug methylphenidate — more commonly known as Ritalin, a Schedule II controlled substance, and marijuana-laced candy inside the mobile home.
———
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Kaizen Jamal Lamarr Pearson, 25, Fort Wayne, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor. Bond continued at $1,500. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
A Markle police officer pulled over a vehicle after clocking it at 66 mph-55 zone April 1. Pearson was the driver.
Pearson told the officer he was trying to get to work on time — and that he had a suspended driver’s license for being involved in a traffic accident and not having car insurance.
———
Joshua James Royster, 41, Berne, pleaded guilty to driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail, with all but two days suspended — credited as time served, and placed on probation for 363 days.
Ordered to pay court costs and probation fees.
As part of a plea agreement, one count of operating a motor vehicle with an expired license plate, a Class C infraction, was dismissed.
A Bluffton police officer pulled over the 2007 Dodge Durango Royster was driving on Main Street near Madison Avenue Feb. 5 after noticing the expired plate.
Royster had a previous driving while suspended conviction May 6, 2016, and his license was suspended again Oct. 1, 2020, for failure to pay child support.
———
Aung Thu Oo, 23, Fort Wayne, pleaded guilty to conversion, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail, with all but six days suspended — credited as time served, and placed on probation for 359 days.
Ordered to serve 30 days of home detention and pay court costs and probation fees.
Oo was charged with “skip-scanning” multiple items at one of the self-checkout aisles at the Bluffton Walmart Supercenter Oct. 18, 2021. In all, Oo and a woman he was with, Sa Kay Ra, 24, Fort Wayne, reportedly skip-scanned $68.23 in merchandise.
Skip scanning is when a person deliberately fails to scan the universal price code symbol of an article of merchandise before placing it into a bag.
Ra still awaits an initial hearing on a charge of conversion.
———
Wes Ricker, 36, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .15 percent or more, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail, with all but 10 days suspended, and placed on probation for 355 days.
Credited for four days spent in confinement awaiting disposition of his case.
Ordered to report to a substance abuse program, serve 90 days of home detention and pay court costs and probation fees.
Specialized driving privileges granted.
As part of a plea agreement, one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor, and one count of operating a motor vehicle without insurance, a Class A infraction, were dismissed.
Ricker was charged with crashing his 2014 Ford Fiesta into a parked 2022 Ford Maverick on Mulberry Street between Wiley and Central avenues Feb. 9. At the time of the crash, Ricker allegedly admitted he had “a lot to drink.”
Ricker reportedly smelled of alcohol, failed standardized field sobriety tests, and blew a .250 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test.
———
One-day jury trial set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 19 for Case J.M. Smith, Bluffton, charged with intimidation wherein the threat is to commit a forcible felony, a Level 6 felony, and criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor.
———
Tequilla Dawn Gross, 38, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 264 days in the Wells County Jail and assessed $185 in court costs.
Gross was a resident of the Main Motel, 1090 N. Main St., April 24, 2021, when she reportedly refused to leave the room after being told by the management of the motel that her lease had expired.
She reportedly resisted management’s and officer’s demands to leave the room. She was warned by officers that if she did not leave, she would be arrested for criminal trespass. She refused to leave, so she was arrested.
Wells Circuit Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Shawn Michael Collis, 28, Bluffton, charged with residential entry and invasion of privacy with a prior conviction for the same offense, both Level 6 felonies. Bond continued at $10,000. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
Collis is charged with the April 8 offense of entering through the window of a residence of a woman who had a protective order filed against Collis. She was not home at the time but her doorbell camera reportedly captured the activity.
File Reports
Reports of receipts and expenditures of a political committees for the period beginning Jan. 1 and ending April 8 have been filed with the Wells County Clerk’s office by:
• David Rigney for Lancaster Township Trustee, David Lorn Rigney, Bluffton, Republican for Lancaster Township Trustee.
The committee showed no contributions, receipts or expenditures and no debt.
• Bodner Wells Democrat, John Bodner, Ossian, Democrat, for Ossian Town Council at Large.
The committee showed no contributions, receipts or expenditures and no debt.
• Elect Todd Mahnensmith, Todd J. Mahnensmith, rural Ossian, Republican for Wells County Council District 3.
The committee showed no contributions, receipts or expenditures and no debt.
• Mounsey for Sheriff, Ryan Matthew Mounsey, rural Bluffton, Republican for Wells County Sheriff.
The committee showed no cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period, $9,043.78 in itemized contributions and receipts, $991 in unitemized contributions and receipts; $7,289.54 in itemized expenditures; $56 in unitemized expenditures; and concluded the reporting period with $2,689.24 in cash on hand.
Itemized contributions and receipts were made by the candidate himself, $3,000; Greg McBride, Ossian, $1,920; Rodney and Rosemary Mounsey, rural Poneto, $1,000; Todd Fiechter, rural Bryant, $500; Jeff McClish, Uniondale, $1,000; Linda McClish, rural Bluffton, $500; Ronald Campbell, Liberty Center, $200; Rebekah Brooks, Bluffton, $423.78; and Lee Farms Enterprises, rural Montpelier, $500.
Itemized expenditures were to Amanda Clark, Bluffton, $250 for graphic design; Baller Signs, Bluffton, $3,050.04; Print Source, Bluffton, $2,293.20 for cards and mailers; Postmaster of the Bluffton Post Office, $1,372.52 for postage; and Rebekah Brooks, Bluffton, $323.78 for her work as campaign manager.
