Warsaw Man Gets Probation In Drug, Gun Case
December 10, 2019 at 1:07 a.m.
By Amanda [email protected]
Corey J. Matthews, of 135 EMS B 61 B Lane, Warsaw, appeared in front of Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed and was sentenced to one year in the Kosciusko County Jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Level 6 felony; 60 days in KCJ for operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body, a Class C misdemeanor; six months in KCJ for theft, a Level 6 felony; six months in KCJ for possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; and one year in KCJ for dealing marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. A dealing in a scheduled IV controlled substance charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Matthews’ jail time was all suspended to formal probation, and he is to reside at the Serenity House. Part of the plea agreement also requires Matthews to forfeit the firearm seized in the three cases he was convicted for. The gun will be transferred to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office where it can be used for law enforcement purposes or dismantled, the parts sold to an appropriate secondary market, and the proceeds retained by the KCSO to be used in furtherance of law enforcement needs or destroyed.
Matthews’ attorney, Jeff Terrill, told Reed his client has no problem forfeiting the firearm because the gun was the subject of a separate criminal action with an armed robbery and his client has no ownership in that.
Reed chose not to further suspend Matthews’ driving privileges and told Matthews to follow the rules and don’t make him regret not suspending his license or giving him a chance at probation.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at the beginning of 2017 KCSO detectives were investigating an armed robbery at a residence where a 9 mm Glock 17 handgun was stolen in the robbery. The gun owner told police that Tyler Martin, 21, Albion, had agreed to purchase his gun and accessories from him for $500, but when Martin arrived at his residence, he pointed a handgun at him and took the gun and fled.
On Feb. 10, 2017, detectives spoke with Martin, who admitted he set up a transaction to buy the Glock from the man and that he stole it, then gave the handgun to Matthews to pay for a prior drug debt, according to the probable cause affidavit. Martin also told police he had told Matthews the gun was stolen and involved in a robbery. Martin further told police that he buys cocaine, Xanax and marijuana from Matthews.
When police obtained a search warrant for Matthews’ residence that same day, Matthews told police the gun was under the bed and the drugs were in a shoebox beside the bed. Matthews told police the shoebox contains cocaine, Xanax, marijuana and marijuana wax. A minor at the home allowed police to search her phone, according to court papers, which showed drug dealings between Matthews and the juvenile taking place. Police also found images on the phone of Matthews and the juvenile smoking marijuana and of a white substance in a line waiting to be snorted.
Martin was convicted Aug. 21, 2017, in Kosciusko Circuit Court for robbery, a Level 5 felony, and sentenced to three years at the Indiana Department of Corrections; and for carrying a handgun without a license, a Class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to six months at the IDOC.
Corey J. Matthews, of 135 EMS B 61 B Lane, Warsaw, appeared in front of Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed and was sentenced to one year in the Kosciusko County Jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a Level 6 felony; 60 days in KCJ for operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in the body, a Class C misdemeanor; six months in KCJ for theft, a Level 6 felony; six months in KCJ for possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor; and one year in KCJ for dealing marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. A dealing in a scheduled IV controlled substance charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Matthews’ jail time was all suspended to formal probation, and he is to reside at the Serenity House. Part of the plea agreement also requires Matthews to forfeit the firearm seized in the three cases he was convicted for. The gun will be transferred to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office where it can be used for law enforcement purposes or dismantled, the parts sold to an appropriate secondary market, and the proceeds retained by the KCSO to be used in furtherance of law enforcement needs or destroyed.
Matthews’ attorney, Jeff Terrill, told Reed his client has no problem forfeiting the firearm because the gun was the subject of a separate criminal action with an armed robbery and his client has no ownership in that.
Reed chose not to further suspend Matthews’ driving privileges and told Matthews to follow the rules and don’t make him regret not suspending his license or giving him a chance at probation.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at the beginning of 2017 KCSO detectives were investigating an armed robbery at a residence where a 9 mm Glock 17 handgun was stolen in the robbery. The gun owner told police that Tyler Martin, 21, Albion, had agreed to purchase his gun and accessories from him for $500, but when Martin arrived at his residence, he pointed a handgun at him and took the gun and fled.
On Feb. 10, 2017, detectives spoke with Martin, who admitted he set up a transaction to buy the Glock from the man and that he stole it, then gave the handgun to Matthews to pay for a prior drug debt, according to the probable cause affidavit. Martin also told police he had told Matthews the gun was stolen and involved in a robbery. Martin further told police that he buys cocaine, Xanax and marijuana from Matthews.
When police obtained a search warrant for Matthews’ residence that same day, Matthews told police the gun was under the bed and the drugs were in a shoebox beside the bed. Matthews told police the shoebox contains cocaine, Xanax, marijuana and marijuana wax. A minor at the home allowed police to search her phone, according to court papers, which showed drug dealings between Matthews and the juvenile taking place. Police also found images on the phone of Matthews and the juvenile smoking marijuana and of a white substance in a line waiting to be snorted.
Martin was convicted Aug. 21, 2017, in Kosciusko Circuit Court for robbery, a Level 5 felony, and sentenced to three years at the Indiana Department of Corrections; and for carrying a handgun without a license, a Class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to six months at the IDOC.
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