Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for James DW Morris, 35, rural Warren, charged with battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old, a Level 6 felony. Bond continued at $25,000.
Morris is charged with battering a female at the Bluffton residence they shared in an argument over child custody June 17.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Rhiannon M. Haynes, 40, Bluffton, charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of at least .08 percent but less than .15 percent, a Class C misdemeanor; and failure to signal turn or lane change, a Class C infraction. Bond continued at $1,500. Defendant plans to seek specialized driving privileges.
While monitoring traffic from the PNC Bank parking lot June 18, a Bluffton police officer witnessed a vehicle fail to signal a turn from Marion Street onto Market Street. The officer pulled the vehicle over at Oak and Washington streets.
The driver, identified as Haynes, reportedly smelled of alcohol, failed fiueld sobriety tests and blew a .110 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test, which is above Indiana’s legal limit for intoxication of .08 percent.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Yogesh Patil, 28, Fort Wayne, charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .15 percent or more, a Class A misdemeanor; refusal to submit to a breath or chemical test, a Class C infraction; following too closely, a Class C infraction; and driving left of center, a Class C infraction. Bond continued at $1,500.
Patil was driving a maroon Toyota through Ossian June 17 when an Ossian police officer — who was observing traffic — believed the Toyota to be too close to the vehicle ahead of it.
The officer followed the Toyota into The Bridges housing addition and noted in his report that the Toyota appeared to be trying to elude a traffic stop, bit eventually came to an abrupt stop on Little River Trace. The officer noted in his report that Patil had a valid California driver’s license but was in the United States on a work visa from India.
The officer observed in his report to the court that Patil smelled of alcohol, failed field sobriety tests and blew a .134 percent breath alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test, but it was on a “weak sample.”
At the Wells County Jail, Patil allegedly failed three times to provide an adequate breath sample, but on a fourth try allegedly blew a .155 percent ACE on the certified breath test.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Austin Taylor Bassett, 22, New Haven, charged with one count of theft, a Class A misdemeanor. Bond continued at $1,500. Jeffrey Stineburg appointed public defender.
A former girlfriend of Bassett’s totaled her Jeep in a wreck Jan. 8, 2020. She removed the license plate from the Jeep and took it home with her, intending to dispose of it, but didn’t do so and when Bassett and the woman broke up and Bassett moved out of her residence, he allegedly took the license plate with him. She thought it “petty” but gave it no further thought — until she received a mailing from the State of Illinois tollway claiming she owed Illinois unpaid tolls from Nov. 25, 2020; March 20 at 11:28 a.m. and 11:38 a.m.; and March 31, 2021. She received the notice of delinquent tolls on May 4, 2021.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Andrew J. Atkinson, 56, Liberty center, charged with resisting law enforcement by use of a vehicle, a Level 6 felony; operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .15 percent or more, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; three counts of speeding, all Class C infractions; and disregarding a stop sign, a Class C infraction. Bond continued at $6,500. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
On June 22, Bluffton police received a report of a man standing with his pants halfway down next to a red truck on Market Street. As an officer approached the area, he reportedly saw a red truck driving away. He turned his patrol vehicle around and started following the truck, which it had already put some distance between the officer’s patrol vehicle and the truck.
The officer then noticed the same truck coming toward him at Market and Bond streets. The truck turned south on Bond Street then west onto Washington Street. The officer followed.
The pickup truck then reportedly began to accelerate away and continued to do so even after the officer activated the emergency lights on his patrol vehicle.
The truck continued west onto Washington Street and then reportedly turned west on Cherry Street (the two streets intersect at a slight triangle) without stopping or signaling the turn. The truck then allegedly accelerated rapidly westward from the intersection at speeds of 70 mph in a 30 mph zone.
At Adams Street — where Cherry Street ends at a T-intersection — the red truck allegedly accelerated southbound on Cherry at 80- mph-45 zone. The vehicle continued south to 100S, turned west and then came to a stop.
Other officers had joined in the alleged chase at this point and they ordered the driver, later identified as Atkinson, out of the pickup truck at gunpoint.
The investigating officer noted in his report that Atkinson surrendered without incident, smelled of alcohol, appeared intoxicated and blew a .186 percent alcohol concentration of a Breathalyzer test.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Megan Marie Sawyer, 28, Bluffton, charged with possession of a narcotic drug, a Level 6 felony; operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in her body, a Class C misdemeanor; driving left of center, a Class C infraction; and failure to change name or address on driver’s license, a Class C infraction. Bond continued at $3,000. Jeffrey Stineburg appointed public defender.
At 6:47 a.m. June 22, Bluffton police received a report of an erratic driver southbound on Ind. 1 from Ossian in a black Chrysler. A Bluffton police officer spotted a vehicle matching that of the complaint and pulled the Chrysler over in the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter after allegedly witnessing it cross the center line of Main Street twice.
Sawyer reportedly told the officer she had driven down from Fort Wayne and was en route to the “rehab place” in Bluffton. She was reportedly unaware that she had driven across the center line of the highway.
The officer observed in his report to the court that Sawyer appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests but blew a zero on a Breathalyzer test.
Reportedly officers found a small bag with a brown powdery substance in Sawyer’s Chrysler and that powder tested positive for heroin. Sawyer allegedly admitted she had used heroin two days earlier.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Earl W. Quinn, 52, Bluffton, charged with failure to appear in court, a Level 6 felony. Bond continued at $5,000. Allison Sprunger appointed public defender.
On May 9, Quinn was arrested on charges of strangulation and two counts of domestic battery, all Level 6 felonies. He is alleged to have failed to appear for a status hearing on the charges May 23.
Civil Cases
Complaints for possession and for non-payment of rent dismissed by BCG Capital, Bluffton, for: Savanna Sowles, Ossian; Christian Cox, Bluffton; Cody Goins and Kellie Baumgartner, Bluffton.
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles ordered to issue a replacement title for a 1995 Fleetwood Terry Camper to Joshua Aaron Pence, Liberty Center.
Wells Circuit Court
Criminal Cases
Petition for expungement and sealing of criminal records filed by Vanita June Perry, rural Huntington.
Civil Cases
Complaint for payment of $11,510.47 filed by Communitywide Federal Credit Union, South Bend, against Lindsey N. Lee and Erin S. Lee, Bluffton.
Complaint for unpaid lease totaling $3,929.53 filed by Bohouse Sigler Homes LLC, Muncie, against Trever A. Sebring, Ossian.
Complaint for damages filed by Dennis Johnson, Fort Wayne, against Landmark Recovery, doing business as Praxis of Fort Wayne; Landmark Recovery of Carmel, doing business as Praxis of Fort Wayne; Landmark Recovery of Carmel and Landmark Recovery of Louisville. While an invitee on the property of Praxis of Bluffton April 20, 2022, Johnson is claiming he suffered permanent, disfiguring injuries while using the facility’s ping-pong table. He is seeking compensation for past and future medical expenses, future wage loss, past and future pain and suffering, permanent damage, bodily impairment, disfigurement and scarring, severe permanent injuries, disabilities and all in such amounts that will reasonably compensate him for his alleged losses.
Complaint on note totaling $40,000 and to foreclose mortgage at 3164 S. Main St., Liberty Center, filed by PNC Bank National Association, Miamisburg, Ohio, against Jan L. Masterson and Betty R. Masterson.
Complaints for payment filed by LVNV Funding, Grand Rapids, Mich., against Jennifer Gilliam, Bluffton,
Certificates Filed
Certificates of candidate selection to fill an early ballot vacancy for a local office in 2022 have been filed with the Wells County Clerk’s office by:
• Phyllian Keefer, rural Markle, Democrat, seeking election as the Rockcreek Township Trustee.
• Stanley Bales, rural Montpelier, Republican, seeking election to the Chester Township Advisory Board.
• Jeff Kemper, Ossian, Republican seeking election to an at-large position on the Ossian Town Council.
• Gregg Vanover, rural Warren, Republican, seeking election to the Jackson Township Advisory Board.
• Bruce E. Leas, rural Montpelier, Republican seeking election to the Jackson Township Advisory Board.
• Lindsay Burnau, rural Uniondale, Republican, seeking election to the Rockcreek Township Advisory Board.
• Brian Imel, rural Markle, Republican, seeking election as Union Township Trustee.
• Robert Caley, rural Markle, Republican seeking election to the Union Township Advisory Board.
• John Legge, Markle, Republican, seeking election to the Rockcreek Township Advisory Board.
• Robin Gentis, rural Bluffton, Republican, seeking election to the Nottingham Township Advisory Board.
• Nathanael Wilson, rural Markle, Republican, seeking election as Rockcreek Township Trustee.
• Scott Minniear, rural Liberty Center, Republican for Liberty Township Advisory Board.
Marriage Licenses
Hugo Sanchez Pani, 31, Bluffton, and Miriam Teles Ramirez, 28, Bluffton.
Madalyn Leigh Bergman, 22, Bluffton, and Ian Nicholas Clark, 22, rural Markle.
Jason Michael Cook, 31, Ossian, and Makayla Jo Leyse, 21, Ossian.
Alyxandria Ann Madesh, 31, Reno, Nev., Joshua Michael Cramer, 35, Reno, Nev.
Larry Curtis Hadaway, Bluffton, and Darci Maree King, 36, Bluffton.
Rebecca Allison Fox, 29, rural Bluffton, and Caleb Walter Lawrence Kaehr, 22, rural Bluffton.
Dennis Patrick Bobay, 66, rural Ossian, and Rhonda Lee Banta, 66, rural Ossian.
Gerardo Sanchez Pani, 42, Bluffton, and Gabina Perez Tello, 47, Bluffton.
Noah Christopher Nolan, 24, Bluffton, and Katelyn Katherine Ludington, 25, Bluffton.
Nelson Edwin Ross-Miller, 26, Ossian, and Aidan John Knox, 23, Fort Wayne.
Chelley Eileen Neuenschwander, 31, Bluffton, and Stuart Boswell Bready, 30, Newnan, Ga.
