Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Jessica Ann Mendieta, 44, New Castle, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Level 6 felony.
Sentencing set for 10:30 a.m. April 13.
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Alex Oakley Richardson, 18, rural Ossian, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in his body, a Class C misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 60 days 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 the costs of his blood test, a $300 drug interdiction fee, court costs and probation fees. Driver’s license suspended for 30 days.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person , a Class A misdemeanor; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; minor transporting alcohol, a Class C misdemeanor; unlawful possession of tobacco by a minor, a Class C misdemeanor; open alcoholic beverage container during operation of a motor vehicle, a Class C infraction; unsafe movement on a road with two or more lanes, a Class C infraction; and no or improper headlights, a Class C infraction, were all dismissed.
Bluffton police officer pulled over a 2002 Toyota Avalon after observing the car had a headlight out and appeared to be weaving within its lane. She pulled over to allow the Avalon to pass her patrol car and when it did, it reportedly crossed the dotted line separating lanes. At Wiley Avenue, the Avalon allegedly failed to stop for a red light. The officer pulled it over.
Richardson reportedly only cracked his window about four inches as the officer was trying to talk to him, but apparently that was enough for the officer to smell a strong odor of raw marijuana emanating from the interior of the Avalon.
When the officer asked Richardson where he was headed, he reportedly told her that he was going to a friend’s house in Berne but pointed in the opposite direction. He then allegedly asked the officer if she thought he was intoxicated.
Upon further questioning, Richardson allegedly admitted to having smoked marijuana earlier in the day and that he had both marijuana and alcohol in the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle allegedly turned up a backpack with 12 unopened cans of Twisted Tea in it, and opened glass bottle of Skrewball liquor, a black grinder containing a green plant-like material, a Mason jar with a white lid containing a glass pipe and a metal tin containing a green leafy plant material with the odor and appearance of marijuana.
In a second bag in the vehicle, officers allegedly found a second grinder, three opened packages of Swisher Sweets cigars, another metal tin containing a green plant-like material with the odor and appearance of marijuana, a small scale and small glass smoking devices.
Richardson reportedly failed two of three field sobriety tests but blew a zero on a Breathalyzer test.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Shan Shu, 43, Fort Wayne, charged with operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of at least .08 percent but less than .15 percent, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated first offense, both Class C misdemeanors. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
At 7:04 p.m. Feb. 10, local law enforcement received a report of a 2015 Acura ILX that had ran a light and was now weaving within its lane. A sheriff’s deputy was able to get behind the vehicle on the north side of Ossian and reported observing it weave within its own lane and touch the center line numerous times. He pulled the Acura over.
The driver, identified as Shu, reportedly spoke little English and the deputy communicated with him through a female passenger in the back seat of the vehicle.
The deputy observed in his report to the court that Shu smelled of alcohol, appeared intoxicated and blew a .136 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a certified breath test conducted at the Wells County Jail.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Cody Allen Alejandro, 29, Ossian, charged with operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of at least .08 percent, but less than .15 percent, a Class C misdemeanor, and 71 mph-55 zone, a Class C infraction. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
At 1:56 a.m. Feb. 12, a sheriff’s deputy was monitoring traffic from the Irish Acres parking lot entrance along Ind. 1 north of 700N when he clocked a 2018 Kia Optima heading north at 71 mph-55 zone. He pulled out behind it and noticed that it appeared to be swerving within its lane. He then pulled it over on North Jefferson Street in Ossian across from the BP station.
The deputy observed in his report that Alejandro smelled of alcohol, appeared intoxicated, failed field sobriety tests and blew a .146 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test.
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Ashlie Lynn Sills, 34, Bluffton, violated probation by testing positive for both fentanyl and THC Jan. 24 and failing to report that she had contact with law enforcement officers Jan. 24.
Ordered to serve four days in prison — credited as time served and to pay $1,120.50.
Sills was originally sentenced July 1, 2021, on one count of operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .08 percent or more with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Level 6 felony.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Gilbert Martinez, 22, Bluffton, charged with assisting a criminal, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sheriff’s deputies went to a rural Montpelier residence Jan. 21, to serve a warrant for arrest on a woman. Martinez, who reportedly is the woman’s boyfriend, allegedly told the deputies twice she was not present in the residence, however the deputies learned from another woman present at the home that the woman they were looking for was indeed inside the residence. She was taken into custody without incident.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for James A. Stalker, 65, Bluffton, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor, and no or improper stop lamp, a Class C infraction. Patrick Miller appointed public defender.
At 10:35 a.m. Feb. 10, a Bluffton police officer pulled over a Hyundai Sonata his patrol vehicle was behind after noticing that the Sonata had a brake light that was not working.
After speaking with Stalker, the officer learned that Stalker had an indefinite suspension against his driver’s license since June 21, 2020, and had a prior conviction March 20, 2020, in Huntington County Superior Court for driving while suspended.
