Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Hunter Logan Clark, 22, Spencerville, charged with possession of marijuana and driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, both Class A misdemeanors; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor; operating a motor vehicle without insurance, a Class A infraction; unsafe movement from lane to lane and operating a vehicle with a false license plate, both Class C infractions.
Clark was driving south on Main Street May 3 when someone phoned in a driving complaint on him. An officer at the moment of dispatch happened to see the suspect vehicle — a black GMC Jimmy — drive right past him. He pulled out onto Main Street and fell in behind it. The vehicle reportedly made an abrupt lane change and turned into the parking lot of O’Reilly’s Auto Parts. The officer pulled in behind it after discovering that the license plate on the Jimmy was actually registered to a silver Dodge.
Clark allegedly admitted to the officer that he knew he had a suspended driver’s license and that it was from a prior traffic accident and “issues” surrounding that accident. He allegedly admitted that the license plate on the Jimmy he had removed from his own wrecked vehicle and put onto the Jimmy which he had purchased in January. He also had no proof of insurance.
A vehicle inventory performed by officers prior to towing the Jimmy reportedly turned up two glass bongs with burned marijuana residue, a small glass pipe, a labeled glass jar containing a green leafy plant material the officer recognized as marijuana, and a small tin with two small straws inside and a fine white powder. A small safe inside the vehicle reportedly contained two small pills labeled for the prescription anti-depressant Sertraline. The name on the prescription bottle reportedly was not Clark’s.
Clark had a previous conviction in DeKalb County Superior Court for possession of marijuana.
Infractions
Costs and fines of $200 assessed against Julia A. Bischoff, 57, Bluffton, who admitted to illegal passing of a school bus when stop arm is extended, Ind. 116 east of Tracy Street in Markle.
Judgment of $151.50 entered against Matthew J. Toombs, 20, rural Ossian, who was cited for operating a vehicle with expired license plates and operating a motor vehicle without insurance, Jefferson Street north of Hillcrest Road, Ossian.
Civil Cases
Judgments and writs of possession entered for Shel-Mar Farms Inc. against Kent Brown and Jennifer Julius, rural Craigville.
Complaint for payment filed by Credit Acceptance Corp., Vernon Hills, Ill., against Garrick Twigg, rural Portland.
Complaint for payment of $1,691.41 filed by Partners 1st Federal Credit Union, Fort Wayne, against Andrew Haler, Bluffton.
Complaint for payment of $13,457.87 filed by Credit Acceptance Corp., Columbus, Ohio, against Brandon Vail and Zea Zoll, Bluffton.
Wells Circuit Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Spencer Michael Ondersma, 22, Fort Wayne, charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Levl 5 felony; unlawful use or possession of a legend drug, a Level 6 felony; possession of a Schedule I, II, III, or IV controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor; and operating a vehicle with a Schedule I, or II controlled substance or its metabolite in his body, a Class C misdemeanor. Bond continued at $19,500. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
The vehicle Ondersma was driving was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy May 1 after the deputy clocked it at 70 mph-55 zone.
While speaking with Ondersma, the deputy observed cradled in Ondersma’s lap was a small blue butane lighter — a common item used by drug abusers to heat up the end of a glass pipe to ingest illegal substances. Ondersma rep[ortedly told the deputy he used the torch to light his cigarettes in windy conditions.
The sheriff received permission from Ondersma to search the vehicle.
During the search, the deputy reportedly found a marijuana grinder containing a ground-up green leafy substance with the odor and appearance of marijuana, a black screw-top makeup container with a crystalline substance inside; two pills — one for the prescription painkiller gabapentin, a legend drug, and one for the prescription attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug Vyvanse, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Ondersma allegedly admitted to the deputy he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day. He allegedly failed field sobriety tests.
As he was being arrested by the deputy, during a search of his person, the deputy allegedly found a small bag of marijuana and a small bag of methamphetamine inside Ondersma’s right sock.
As he was being booked into the Wells County Jail, Ondersma also allegedly told the jail staff that he had drank something given to him that contained an “unknown concoction of drugs.”
Ondersma has a prior conviction in Allen County Superior Court Oct. 17, 2018, for possession of marijuana.
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Michael E, Whitacre, 50, rural Portland, pleaded guilty to burglary, a Level 5 felony.
Sentenced to four years in prison with the addition of a 10-day sanction imposed Oct. 27, 2021, for his behavior in court for a hearing on his criminal case.
Credited for 235 days spent incarcerated awaiting disposition of his case. Assessed court costs of $185.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of intimidation wherein the threat is to commit a forcible felony, a Level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor, were all dismissed.
At 10:15 p.m. Sept. 2, 202, sheriff’s deputies responded to the Chester Center Church at the corner of 300W and 900S across from the Southern Wells Schools complex on a report that there was a suspicious vehicle parked at the church. The caller was concerned for the person who lived next door to the church.
Upon arrival, a deputy observed a 1998 GMC Jimmy sport utility vehicle that appeared to have been spraypainted several different colors parked in a way that the vehicle was partially on the roadway. The back window of the Jimmy was open and several tools and other items were visible inside the vehicle.
The deputy performed a license plate check of the vehicle and discovered it was registered to Whitacre.
The deputy decided to check on the residence next door and being somewhat familiar with it from past patrols of the area, he noticed something that didn’t look quite right — doors open on a shed.
Outside the open doors was a shop vacuum and a piece of hose.
The deputy noticed the latch to the shed had been broken and was hanging loose from one of the doors. Seeing no one inside the shed, the deputy turned his attention to a nearby white detached garage.
As the deputy was checking out the doors, he noticed that the man door to the shed had a dented door knob and another dent below the knob.
The deputy shone is flashlight into one of the windows and reported seeing what appeared to be a man hiding under a yard sweep.
A second deputy was already nearby and assisted with removing the man — later identified as Whitacre — from the building.
Whitacre passively refused the deputies’ commands to stand up and became limp when they attempted to remove him from the garage.
Whitacre reportedly was talking unintelligibly and what he was saying did not seem to make much sense.
The garage and property were checked for any possible accomplices, but only Whitacre was found.
At one point, Whitacre appeared to be having some sort of a seizure and Wells County EMS responded. Whitacre then allegedly became combative and verbally abusive to medics and deputies. Whitacre threatened the lives of the deputies and medics.
He reportedly continued his loud and abusive behavior at Bluffton Regional Medical Center where he was evaluated before being transported to the Wells County Jail and released to the custody of jail staff.
