Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Destine Angel Martinez, 24, Bluffton, charged with pointing a firearm, a Level 6 felony; possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. Bond continued at $6,500.
Bluffton police and Wells County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence in the 500 block of West Cherry Street April 15 after receiving a report that two men had been threatened by a woman with a loaded gun.
Apparently the argument started when words were exchanged by Martinez and the two men about the vehicle the two men were in blocking traffic on the street.
Martinez has denied pointing the gun at the two men during the argument, however several witness statements counter that assertion. Martinez is also claiming that the men made threatening comments to her and a male at the residence as well as making threats to “burn her house down with her children inside.”
During the course of investigating the incident, officers reportedly learned that Martinez either had placed the gun in the van or in the residence. Officers received permission from Martinez to search the van and allegedly found marijuana inside the van.
Eventually Martinez allegedly told officers the gun was inside the residence but that she had only pointed the gun’s holster at the two men. A male occupant of the residence gave officers permission to enter the residence. The firearm — a nine millimeter Springfield Hellcat — was located in a bedroom dresser drawer.
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Order of conditional discharge granted to Matthew Jacob Black, 19, Bluffton, charged with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
The duration of the deferral is one year. If he successfully completes the terms of the deferral, the charges against him will be dismissed.
Assessed $100 in fees.
On April 2, a sheriff’s deputy went to Black’s residence in the 500 block of South Bennett Street to serve a warrant on a female who was supposed to be at the residence. Black answered the door and informed the deputy that the woman the deputy was searching for no longer lived at the residence. The deputy noted in his report to the court that he could smell a strong odor of burned marijuana emanating from the house.
After speaking with Black about the odor, Black allegedly reluctantly handed the deputy a small marijuana cigarette, and showed him a location where he had two small plastic zip top bags containing a green leafy substance with the odor and appearance of marijuana along with a small marijuana grinder. The deputy also allegedly found a bong under a dresser in the home
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Kyle W. Burch, 30, rural Keystone, violated probation by testing positive for the prescription pain killer fentanyl during a random drug screening April 5.
Ordered to serve 30 days in the Wells County Jail and enroll in a detoxification facility upon release from incarceration.
Burch was originally sentenced Oct. 12, 2021, on one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Briana Lashell Bohanon, 27, Fort Wayne, charged with driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor; exceeding the urban speed limit, a Class C infraction; and operating a motor vehicle with an expired license plate, a Class C infraction.
On April 11, a Bluffton police officer pulled over a vehicle Bohanon was driving after clocking it at 41 mph-30 zone on Main Street at 4-H Park Road. Bohanon reportedly told the officer she was late for an employment orientation. She also did not have a valid Indiana driver’s license. Her license had been suspended since Oct. 1, 2021, for failing to appear in court on a separate traffic infraction.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Dakota David Busche Shively, 24, Fort Wayne, charged with four counts of invasion of privacy, all Class A misdemeanors. Bond continued at $5,000. Allison Sprunger appointed public defender.
While incarcerated at the Wells County Jail on a separate case between Jan. 18 and April 7, Busche Shively allegedly used the jail’s Chirp communication system to contact a woman for whom there was a court ordered protection order issued against him.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Emily Neiswender, 22, Bluffton, charged with escape, a Level 6 felony. Bond continued at $5,000. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
On Oct. 18, Neiswender was sentenced in Wells Superior Court on one count of domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of her sentence she was ordered to serve 60 days of home detention.
According to a report from Wells County Community Corrections, which operates the home detention program, Neiswender failed to report to Community Corrections to receive her ankle monitoring device.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Bobby J. Speece, 42, rural Montpelier, charged with two separate counts of failure to appear in court, both Level 6 felonies. Bond continued at $5,000 in each case. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
Speece was supposed to show up for a hearing March 22, in Wells Superior Court, on a case charging him with auto theft, a Level 6 felony. He allegedly failed to appear for that hearing.
He was also scheduled to appear in Wells Superior Court for a separate hearing on the same day for a case in which he is charged with theft, a Level 6 felony. He reportedly also failed to show for that hearing as well.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Andy William Ashley, 41, rural Liberty Center charged with domestic battery in the presence of a chil less than 16 years old, strangulation, and two counts of intimidation wherein the threat is to commit a forcible felony, all Level 6 felonies. Bond continued at $50,000. Jeffrey Stineburg appointed public defender.
Ashley is charged with battering, choking and threatening a female at the residence they shared at 1:30 a.m. April 13. Ashley allegedly was upset with the woman after she laughed at him when he demanded to know where his supper was after coming home from work.
