Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Lismarie Torres Rivera, 38, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail, with all but eight days suspended — credited as time served. Placed on probation for 357 days.
Ordered to pay court costs and probation fees.
Torres Rivera was arrested in January of 2020 after under-ringing items at the Bluffton Walmart Supercenter. At that time she had been warned to never return to Walmart or she would be arrested for criminal trespass.
The store’s surveillance cameras reportedly captured on video Torres Rivera on the store property on three separate occasions in January of 2023.
———
Todd Michael Maggins, 59, Fort Wayne, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 60 days in the Wells County Jail. Credited for spending six days in jail awaiting disposition of his case.
Assessed $185.50 in court costs.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in his body, a Class B misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor; and unsafe movement from lane to lane on a road with two or more lanes, a Class C infraction, were all dismissed.
On June 25, 2021, while patrolling north on Ind. 1 near 500N, a sheriff’s deputy spotted a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu cross the fog line of the highway. He pulled the vehicle over.
The driver, Maggins, admitted to the deputy he had been texting and that’s why he veered across the fog line. The deputy observed in his report to the court, however, that Maggins appeared to be impaired.
Upon the deputy making that observation known to Maggins, Maggins reportedly became upset, uncooperative and belligerent. He reportedly refused to complete field sobriety tests. A blood test was taken, and the results of it, which were received several months later, showed the presence of both methamphetamine and amphetamine.
———
Tyler Allen Lee Hunnicutt, 19, Huntington, 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 serve 30 days of home detention, pay court costs and probation fees.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of refusal to identify self, a Class C misdemeanor; operating a motor vehicle without insurance, a Class A infraction; speeding, operating a motor vehicle with a false license plate, and failure to provide vehicle registration certificate when required, all Class C infractions, were dismissed.
On Nov. 15, 2022, while patrolling Ind. 124 near Meridian Road, a sheriff’s deputy clocked an oncoming Cadillac at 72 mph-55 zone. The deputy turned his patrol vehicle around and reportedly witnessed the Cadillac turn into a private drive as if its driver was trying to elude being pulled over.
The deputy pulled into the driveway as well.
When the deputy asked the driver, identified later as Hunnicutt, he allegedly became confrontational and, mistakenly, believed that he could not be pulled over because he was on private property.
Hunnicutt reportedly became belligerent and tried walking away from the deputy who ordered him to stop. Hunnicutt allegedly continued to insist that the deputy could not detain him because he was on private property. Hunnicutt reportedly refused to give the deputy his identification again insisting that he did not have to give the deputy his ID because he was on “his” property. Hunnicutt lives in Huntington.
The deputy later spoke with the people who lived at the residence and the homeowner denied ever having heard of Hunnicutt, let alone Hunnicutt living there.
Hunnicutt reportedly had only a title and no registration for the vehicle. The title reportedly was not in his name and was not dated. He reportedly had no proof of insurance for the vehicle.
———
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Matthew J. Springer, 46, Roanoke, charged with possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony; possession of marijuana, with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Bond continued at $7,000. Cory Spreen appointed public defender.
On Feb. 1, the Wells County Sheriff’s Department received a tip from the Roanoke Police Department that Springer was living in the apartment above the Ossian NAPA auto parts store and was apparently selling methamphetamine out of the apartment. Law enforcement started to keep a closer eye on the activities at the apartment.
They got a break on Feb. 24 when Springer dumped a blue tote in the dumpster outside of the NAPA store that belonged to NAPA. A sheriff’s detective and a Bluffton Police Department detective, who are both part of the Adams-Wells DETECT Drug Task Force, received the NAPA’s manager’s permission to remove the tote from the dumpster. Upon checking through the contents, the detectives allegedly found evidence of illegal drugs in the tote including stems and leaves of marijuana plants, an empty cigarette rolling paper container, a torch lighter, a piece of foil with burned residue with the appearance of methamphetamine, a small plastic bag containing the residue of a crystalline substance, and a measuring cup with an unknown substance in the cup.
The detectives then applied for and received a search warrant for the apartment. They went to the apartment with additional law enforcement officers. The lead detective in the case announced the presence of the officers outside of the door apartment, stating that he had a warrant to search the apartment. When he received no answer, an officer used a ram to batter down the door.
Inside the apartment they allegedly found considerable evidence of marijuana usage along with multiple torches, and a glass jar of what appeared to be “moonshine” — homemade liquor.
Springer was not in the apartment at the time of the search but was later arrested by an Ossian police officer.
During an interview with the detective, Springer allegedly admitted he has a residence in Michigan where he raises marijuana (recreational marijuana usage is legal in Michigan). He also allegedly admitted to having trimmed some plants at the Ossian apartment recently. He added that he does not stay in the apartment but uses it for storage.
Springer denied using methamphetamine but allegedly accepted the meth charge to deflect potential legal action against the person he suspected of actually using the meth.
Springer has a prior conviction in Stueben County Circuit Court Oct. 23, 2015, for possession of marijuana.
———
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Austin L. Blessing, 24, New Haven, charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated first offense, a Class C misdemeanor; operating a vehicle with a Class I or II controlled substance in his blood, a Class C misdemeanor; and improper headlights, a Class C infraction. Patrick Miller appointed public defender.
While patrolling south on Main Street south of Dustman Road Feb. 26, a Bluffton police officer spotted an oncoming 2008 Toyota Avalon that had its driver’s side headlight out. The officer noted in his report to the court that he activated the emergency lights on his patrol vehicle to try and pull the Avalon over, but it continued to drive north. The officer then activated the siren on his patrol vehicle but the Avalon reportedly continued to drive northbound — at a speed of 25 mph in a 45 mph zone.
The Avalon reportedly continued north to Monroe Street, turned right and then finally pulled over in the parking lot of the Walgreens drug store.
The officer asked the driver, identified as Blessing, for his driver’s license. While speaking with Blessing, the officer observed in his report that the interior of the Avalon smelled of both burned and raw marijuana.
Blessing reportedly told Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Colton Norris, 21, Bluffton, charged with criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor.
Norris and his sister both live at The Budget Inn motel, 1090 N. Main St. The sister has reportedly told Norris he is not welcome in her room. On Feb. 15, he allegedly walked into her room uninvited.
