Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Sherylle A. Peeples, 52, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to theft, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail, all suspended, and placed on probation for one year.
Ordered to pay court costs and probation fees.
Peeples was charged with skip-scanning numerous items at a self-checkout aisle at the Bluffton Walmart Supercenter, 2100 N. Main St., May 29.
Items skip-scanned included foam plates, wax, girls shoes, liquid soap, pork chops, cat litter, a slate, and steak fries.
Peeples initially denied intentionally stealing anything and claimed the scanner malfunctioned. She reportedly offered to pay for the unpaid items.
The officer in his report to the court noted that the store’s surveillance video showed obvious evidence that Peeoples intentionally avoided scanning items by stacking items on top of each other and only scanning the Universal Price Code Symbol of the item on the bottom of the stack.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Hunter Logan Clark, 22, Bluffton, charged with residential entry and possession of a narcotic drug, both Level 6 felonies; possession of marijuana with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor. Bond continued at $12,500. Allison Sprunger appointed public defender.
On July 8, at a residence in the 1400 block of West Central Avenue, a male caller reported that a man had just been at his residence, rattled his door knob, knocked on his locked front door and then left the front of the residence, leaving behind a bag of something in the street in front of the house.
Moments later, as officers were speaking with the man who had placed the emergency call, the man who reportedly had tried to enter the caller’s residence started walking toward where the officers were standing. They asked him what he was doing as they watched him cut across a neighbor’s yard toward them. The man— later identified as Clark — reportedly told the officers he was looking for his girlfriend.
The investigating officer observed in his report to the court that Clark appeared to be intoxicated, but a portable Breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol concentration equivalency to be zero.
A search of the bag that Clark had allegedly left behind in the street reportedly contained drug paraphernalia, evidence of drug use and two small plastic bags of a green leafy substance with the odor and appearance of marijuana.
As he was being booked into the Wells County Jail, jail staff members allegedly located nine white capsules that were labeled for hydrocodone bitartate, a prescription pain medication for which Clark reportedly did not possess a prescription.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Hector L. Muñoz Carattini, 59, Bluffton, charged with resisting law enforcement by use of a vehicle, a Level 6 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; no valid driver’s license in his possession, a Class C infraction; speeding, a Class C infraction; failure to signal a lane change or turn, a Class A infraction; open alcoholic beverage container violation, a Class C infraction; and driving left of center, a Class C infraction. Released on his own recognizance. Larry Mock appointed public defender.
While patrolling Main Street at 1:25 a.m. July 9, a Bluffton police officer clocked a southbound 2015 Hyundai Tucson at 62 mph-30 zone. The officer tried to catch up to the vehicle but was unable to do so before the Tucson made a right turn onto Wabash Street, reportedly swinging so wide that it was driving westbound in the eastbound lane of the street. The Tucson reportedly continued westbound on Wabash Street at 65 mph-30 zone and at Oak Street, made a left turn to head south.
The officer had activated the emergency light package on her patrol vehicle and then realized that they had turned off on their own. She reactivated them but by this time, the Tucson was heading east on Washington Street.
The emergency lights stopped working on the patrol car again, so the officer reactivated them but the Tucson reportedly turned southbound onto Jersey Street. The Tucson then pulled into the driveway of a private residence. The officer exited her patrol vehicle and recognized the driver as Muñoz Carattini from prior incidents that the officer had investigated.
The officer observed in her report that Muñoz Carritini appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol and blew a .168 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test.
Muñoz Carritini was reportedly also in possession of part of a ballpoint ink pen which had a white residue inside the barrel. He allegedly admitted to the officer later in the investigation he used the end of the pen to “snort” crushed pain pills for which he did not have a prescription.
While he was being detained at Bluffton Regional Medical Center, Muñoz Carritini allegedly resisted attempts by a nurse to take his blood.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Alison P. Frederick, 24, Fort Wayne, charged with operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .15 percent or more with a prior conviction for the same offense, operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person with a prior conviction for the same offense, operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person less than 18 years of age — all Level 6 felonies; violation of his driving conditions, a Class C misdemeanor; unsafe movement from lane to lane, open alcoholic beverage container during operation of a motor vehicle and improper or no license plate light and/or taillights — all Class C infractions. Bond continued at $15,500.
While on patrol July 8, a Markle police officer received a report of a northbound dark-colored sport utility vehicle on I-69 speeding and with a taillight out. The officer was not able to get to I-69 before he spotted a sport utility vehicle matching the description from the call headed northbound on Clark Street in Markle. The officer reportedly noticed the SUV cross the center line on Clark Street, speed up to 70 mph in a 55 zone, and weave within its lane. The officer pulled the SUV over near 800N on Marzane Road.
The officer observed in his report that the driver, identified as Frederick, smelled of alcohol. There were two boys in the car which Frederick said were her stepsons.
The officer had Frederick perform field sobriety tests, which she allegedly failed, and she reportedly blew a .221 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test.
Frederick reportedly had court-ordered driving conditions from her prior conviction in Allen County Superior Court May 6, 2021.
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Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Ryan Anthony Minick, 41, Fort Wayne, charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person with a prior conviction for the same offense and operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .08 percent or more with a prior conviction for the same offense, both Level 6 felonies; reckless driving, a Class C misdemeanor; speeding, operating a motorcycle without proper permit and/or endorsement, and violation of driving conditions, all Class C infractions. Bond continued at $5,500.
While patrolling north on Ind. 1 near 1100N at 11:02 p.m. July 10, a sheriff’s deputy clocked a southbound Harley Davidson motorcycle at 98 mph-55 zone. The deputy turned around his patrol vehicle and caught up with the motorcycle on the north side of Ossian, pulling it over in the parking lot of the Dollar General store.
The rider, identified as Minck, reportedly smelled of alcohol, failed field sobriety tests and blew a .140 percent alcohol concentration equivalency on a Breathalyzer test.
A sheriff’s deputy had his K-9 partner perform a free air sniff around the motorcycle and the dog allegedly alerted on one of the motorcycle’s saddle bags. A backpack and clothing inside the bag allegedly had the odor of raw marijuana, however only some small crumbs of the substance were on the items.
Minck had a prior conviction in Allen County Superior Court for operating a vehicle while intoxicated March 11, 2021.
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Travis Runyon, 36, Fort Wayne, violated probation by failing to perform community service as ordered by the court following his Sept. 10, 2021, conviction on one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
Ordered to serve 10 days in the Wells County Jail, which was credited as time served, perform 20 hours of community service, and pay $255 in fees.
Upon completion of his sentence, Runyon’s probation will terminate.
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Diane E. Garcia, 56, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 180 days in the Wells County Jail, with all but four days suspended — credited as time served, and placed on probation for 361 days.
Ordered to pay court costs and probation fees.
Garcia told Bluffton police that a male acquaintance of hers, James E. Sanders Jr., 52, Bluffton, entered her Spring Wayne apartment using a key June 19, called her a derogatory name and threw a cat at her during an argument.
Garcia allegedly shoved the man into a wall during the argument. Police warned both that if they responded to the apartment again, both would be arrested for disorderly conduct.
An initial hearing for one count of disorderly conduct to be filed against Sanders was set in Wells Superior Court today.
