Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Raigan I. Harkinson, 22, rural Montpelier, charged with three counts of criminal trespass, all Class A misdemeanors; three counts of theft, all Class A misdemeanors; and one count of fraud, a Level 6 felony. Bond continued at $5,000 cash or surety only.
Harkinson had been warned in June of 2022 not to return to the Bluffton Walmart Supercenter because she had reportedly been caught stealing from the store.
She allegedly returned to the store Oct. 29, 2022, Nov. 5, 2022, and Nov. 13, 2022, and each time she reportedly stole merchandise from the store.
On Oct. 29, she reportedly scanned a can of motor oil at the store’s self-checkout aisle, but failed to scan a second can in the cart that she had pushed up to the scanner. She is alleged to have walked out with paying $26.47 for the additional motor oil.
On Nov. 5, she allegedly attempted to attach a universal price code label for $1 to a much higher priced can of motor oil, however the scanner at the store’s self-checkout aisle would not scan the label. She then allegedly attempted to scan the label by itself after removing it from where she had attached it to the can. It reportedly again failed to scan and that prompted a store employee to approach. Harkinson then allegedly attempted to hide the label, and ended up scanning one can of motor oil but failed to scan four additional cans of oil and walked out of the store without paying $26.52 that she owed.
Then on Nov. 13, at the self-checkout aisle of the store, she scanned one can of leak seal but passed a second can of leak seal over the top of the first in such a manner that it failed to scan. She then reportedly scanned tomatoes but allegedly failed to scan several other items in her cart including clog slippers and thermals. The total loss to the store reportedly was $82.28.
All of the transactions were reportedly captured by the store’s security video system.
The investigating officer in the case interviewed Harkinson and she reportedly at first denied that the person in the security video was her, but when confronted with the fact that the items that were paid for were paid for with Harkinson’s credit card, she allegedly admitted that it might be her.
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Juan Herrera, 55, Indianapolis, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail, with all but 10 days suspended. Credited for four days spent in confinement awaiting disposition of his case.
Ordered to serve 355 days of probation, report to a substance abuse treatment program, pay a $200 Countermeasures fee, court costs and probation fees.
Driver’s license suspended for one year.
As part of a plea agreement charges of failure to change name or address on driver’s license, open alcoholic beverage container during operation of a motor vehicle, two counts of driving left of center and one count of no headlights between dusk and dawn, all Class C infractions, were dismissed.
While on patrol at 12:24 a.m. July 1 a Bluffton police officer spotted an oncoming vehicle eastbound on Western Avenue cross the center line of the street. The vehicle then continued past the officer, made a right turn onto Decker Drive and turned its lights off, continuing to drive down Decker Drive. The officer turned her patrol vehicle into the parking lot at the Wells County Jail and watched the vehicle turn around on Decker Drive — with its lights still off — proceed back to Western Avenue and turn its lights back on. The officer turned out of the jail just as the vehicle turned off Decker Drive — allegedly making such a wide right turn that it caused the officer to have to make an evasive maneuver to avoid a head-on crash.
The officer then turned around and followed the vehicle, pulling it over on Wiley Avenue at the entrance to Snider Tire.
The driver, identified as Herrera, allegedly smelled of alcohol, appeared intoxicated, failed field sobriety tests and refused to take a Breathalyzer test.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Tyler Michael Anthony Boyd, 27, Bluffton, charged with failure of a sex or violent offender to register, and failure of a sex or violent offender to possess identification, with a prior conviction for the same offense, both Level 6 felonies.
Bond continued at $10,000. Patrick Miller appointed public defender.
While checking the social media site Facebook, a sheriff’s deputy found Boyd’s image attached to an account listed as belonging to “Markus Darrell.” Boyd reportedly did not have any social media sites listed on his registration forms.
On Dec. 27, a sheriff’s deputy investigated a report of a suspicious person walking on U.S. 224 west of Norwell High School trying to flag down traffic. The deputy located the man walking south on 100E near the school and recognized the man as Boyd.
Reportedly the only form of identification that he had with him was his prison identification card.
Registered sex offenders are required to carry a valid Indiana identification card or driver’s license on their person at all times.
Civil Cases
Writs of possession granted to Lancaster Estates mobile home park against tenants Amber and Cory Metz and Matthew Benny Sauerwine.
File Reports
Reports of receipts and expenditures of a political committee have been filed with the Wells County Clerk’s office by:
• Elect Todd J. Mahnensmith, Todd J. mahnensmith, rural Ossian, Republican for Wells County Council District 3.
For the period beginning Oct. 15, 2022, and ending Dec. 31, 2022, the committee showed no cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period, no contributions nor receipts, no expenditures and ended the reporting period with no cash on hand.
The committee owed no debt.
• Whicker for Mayor, John Seth Whicker, Bluffton, Republican, for Mayor of the City of Bluffton.
For the period beginning Jan. 1, 2022, and ending Dec. 31, 2022, the committee showed $757.23 in cash on hand; $1,020 in itemized contributions and receipts; $19.95 in unitemized expenditures; and ended the reporting period with $1,757.28 in cash on hand.
The committee owed no debt.
All three of the itemized contributions were from the candidate himself, totaling $1,020.
