Using the habitual offender statute and enforcing presumptive sentences are two of Charles Waggoner's key plans if he is elected prosecuting attorney for Kosciusko County.

"Those two issues will make a lot of difference in the county," Waggoner said at a meeting Sunday night at the home of Peggy and Doug Sawyer, Winona Lake.

Since 1977, Indiana's habitual offender statute allows prosecutors to tack on extra prison time if the suspect has prior convictions. Waggoner believes more criminals should be charged as habitual offenders, putting them in prison for longer terms.

"We need to use (habitual offender statute) and keep (criminals) in at least as long as allowed to keep them from victimizing someone else," Waggoner said.

He said that people who choose to commit three felony crimes should be prosecuted as habitual offenders because, "they have decided to be criminals."

Waggoner also believes the prosecutor's office should make tough plea agreements, offering the presumptive sentence for the crime to defendants who plead guilty. In some cases with special circumstances, Waggoner said, the sentence could be lighter, but it could be aggravated by other situations.

When offering a plea agreement, Waggoner said he would start at a sentence that he believes the guilty person may have gotten if convicted by a jury. Waggoner would then start at the presumptive prison sentence and add time for aggravators and cap the maximum time the defendant would spend in prison.

Waggoner said it may "seem crazy" for someone to choose a career as a prosecutor, "confronting wrongdoers on a daily basis." But he has 30 years experience dealing with "people on all levels of wrongdoing," he said.

Waggoner is retired from the Indiana State Police and was chief deputy prosecutor for Kosciusko County. As a trooper, Waggoner said, he handled many tough cases early in his career.

"I learned the value of cooperation" between sheriffs, police officers and prosecutors, he said. "There is a lot you can get done as long as you don't care who gets the credit."

Waggoner said that as the only state trooper assigned to a county, he became good "at bringing people together" to fight crime. He helped investigate and prosecute people involved in professional gambling, prostitution, drugs, murders and white-collar crimes. He said he was the head of the largest anti-corruption team in Indiana for five years.

"Making the transition from a police officer to prosecutor isn't a quantum leap," Waggoner said. "I understand how police officers think and how crooks think."

Waggoner said he has testified in front of 35 grand juries as well as serving as a special prosecutor in some cases.

Waggoner says he enjoys the benefit of having "an excellent relationship with judges" in the county and plans to continue building his good relationship with police officers.

Juvenile crime is another area Waggoner said he would like to address. "It's hard to get a kid's attention when there's no alternative except to call the parents," he said. A place is needed to take juveniles and hold them for a short period of time, Waggoner said.

Those convicted of drunk driving and child molesting should be dealt with decisively, Waggoner said, as well as having the police and prosecutor follow up with the victims.

Waggoner plans to continue his appearances at individual homes and is scheduled to appear with the other two prosecutor candidates April 14 at a joint appearance sponsored by the Taxpayers Action Network. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the old courtroom in the Kosciusko County courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]