Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Joshua A. Roe, 37, Markle, pleaded guilty to making a false identity statement, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 170 days in the Wells County Jail with the term of the sentence to be served consecutively with a 180-day, all suspended, term meted in Adams County Superior Court following his plea of guilty to possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor.
Credited for spending 168 days in confinement awaiting disposition of his case in Wells County and assessed court costs of $185.
As part of a plea agreement, one count of identity deception, a Level 6 felony, was dismissed.
Roe’s pitbulls reportedly attacked a smaller dog outside of the Skyline Village apartments April 26.
When a sheriff’s deputy investigated the alleged attack, Roe gave the deputy a false identity — calling himself “Douglas Philips.” The deputy decided to perform a warrants check on that name, with a date of birth supplied by “Philips,” and could not find anyone matching that name and date of birth.
Suspecting that the man claiming to be Philips was lying about his identity, the deputy returned to the apartment that Philips had gone into, however Philips had locked the door behind him and was refusing to answer the door.
Eventually, Philips admitted to the officer that he was, in reality, Roe, and that he had given a false identification in order to avoid being arrested on a warrant for violating probation from an Adams County criminal case and a retake warrant from the Indiana Department of Correction.
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Because the defendant has fulfilled all obligations of his sentence and because more than three years have passed since the sentence was meted, a charge of criminal confinement, a Level 6 felony, was lowered to a Class A misdemeanor offense for Dillon O. Traynor, 29, Bluffton.
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Karen S. Almeida, 53, Bluffton, pleaded guilty to driving while suspended with a prior conviction, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to 60 days in the Wells County Jail. Credited for 14 days spent in confinement awaiting disposition of her case.
Assessed court costs of $185.50.
A sheriff’s deputy was exiting the Wells County Jail July 5 when he happened to spot a 2007 Hyundai sport utility vehicle driving into the public parking lot. He also noticed that Almeida was the one driving the vehicle and recalled having dealt with her earlier when he arrested her for driving while suspended.
The deputy spoke with Almeida who allegedly responded that the re-eligibility date for reinstatement of her license was that day. However, upon further investigation, the deputy determined the re-eligibility date was in actuality Dec. 31, 2024.
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Hunter Morgan Cain, 22, whose address is listed as the Wells County Jail, violated probation by testing positive for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, May 5, June 14 and June 16; failing to comply with the counseling requirement of his sentence; and testing positive for alcohol and THC July 1.
Ordered to serve 60 days in the Wells County Jail and pay fees of $100. Upon completion of his sentence his probation will terminate.
Cain was originally sentenced Aug. 19, 2021, on one count of carrying a handgun without a license, a Class A misdemeanor.
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Jennifer Krause, 44, Bluffton, violated probation by testing positive for methamphetamine May 12.
Probation extended six months.
Krause was originally sentenced July 9 on one count of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 6 felony.
Civil Cases
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles ordered to issue a title for a 1969 Opel GT to James W. Trumbower, rural Ossian.
