Wells Superior Court
Criminal Cases
Robert P. Anderson, 34, whose address is listed as the Allen County Jail, pleaded guilty to driving while suspended with a prior conviction for the same offense, a Class A misdemeanor.
Sentenced to two days in the Wells County Jail — credited as time served — and ordered to pay $185.50 in court costs.
As part of a plea agreement, one count of unsafe lane movement on a road with two or more lanes, a Class C infraction, was dismissed.
On Aug. 9, Bluffton police received a report from a female motorist that a dark-colored Chevrolet sport utility vehicle was tailgating her and when it passed her, it nearly hit oncoming traffic head-on. A Bluffton police officer set up in the 700 block of North Main Street and waited on the vehicle to pass by. When it did, he fell in behind it and watched its driving behavior.
As they approached Elm Street, the 2002 Chevrolet abruptly changed lanes at the part of Main Street that narrows from five lanes to three. The action reportedly caused another southbound vehicle to have to slam on its brakes to allow the vehicle into its lane. The officer then pulled the sport utility vehicle over at Poplar Street.
Anderson reportedly has five active suspensions against his license including the most recent one just 13 days earlier for having an excessive amount of points against his license.
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Tammy N. Turner, 54, listed as homeless, pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalency of .15 percent or more and resisting law enforcement, both Class A misdemeanors.
Sentenced to a year in the Wells County Jail on each of the charges with the sentences to be served concurrently. All but 60 days of the sentence was suspended and she was placed on probation for 305 days.
Credited for 60 days spent in confinement awaiting disposition of her case.
Ordered to pay restitution in an amount to be determined, a $200 Countermeasures fee, court costs and probation fees.
As part of a plea agreement, charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; leaving the scene of a property damage accident, a Class B misdemeanor; and open alcoholic beverage container during operation of a motor vehicle, a Class C misdemeanor, were all dismissed.
At 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2, Bluffton police received a report that a vehicle ran up over a curb and hit a tree in the middle of the Bluffton Regional Medical Center parking lot. The vehicle then left the scene to a different part of the lot where it ran up over another curb and became hung up. The vehicle was located by a Bluffton police officer.
The driver, identified as Turner, refused to exit the vehicle despite repeated commands by officers and had to be removed.
A blood test reportedly showed Turner’s alcohol concentration equivalency to be .261 percent, or more than three times Indiana’s legal limit for intoxication of .08 percent.
Wells Circuit Court
Criminal Cases
Preliminary plea of not guilty entered for Ashley N. Gatto, 25, Bluffton, charged with possession of a narcotic drug, a Level 5 felony. Bond continued at $10,000. Jeffrey A. Stineburg appointed public defender.
Gatto was incarcerated at the Wells County Jail Nov. 17 after her bail was revoked from charges of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 5 felony; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
After being booked into the jail and showering, Gatto is alleged to have searched through her possessions to ensure she had not lost a small piece of paper. A female jailer asked Gatto what was in the paper and Gatto allegedly begged her not to look.
A crushed substance that field tested positive for fentanyl was what was allegedly in the paper. Allegedly Gatto had hidden the piece of paper in her vagina to prevent it from being discovered during a strip search. Gatto allegedly admitted to an investigating deputy that she had been given the substance by an unnamed friend to help Gatto handle an anticipated withdrawal from heroin while incarcerated. She allegedly believed the substance was suboxone.
